Hunger Games you and Peeta
by alyshamae49
Summary: no more Katniss and Peeta...it's YOU and Peeta in the Games. It's the Quarter Quell, past Tributes are readded into the reaping pool. You are both chosen, and must not only fight for your lives...but for each other.
1. Chapter 1

Reaping Day

It was Reaping Day. This was the 4th time in your life that you had had to wear that faded blue dress that your mother passed down to you, and you hated the sight of yourself in it. Every year that you were safe from being tossed into the arena, you barely took it off with a sigh of relief, knowing that in just a year's time you would have to put it back on and pray that it wasn't your name drawn from the slew of others that surrounded yours. You had been wearing it the previous year when your brother's name was drawn from the mix...and you were going to be wearing it again when someone else you cared about was sentenced to die in the Games; or worse, yourself. Nobody from District 12 ever made it out alive...only three in 74 years. And your brother wasn't one of them.

Your mother appears behind you with a bar of soap and a rag.

"Go wash up," she said, "we need to be in the square by eleven." You say nothing, just rip your gaze from the mirror you had been staring in and take the soap and rag, disappearing to the back room of your house to bathe before the Reaping. At eleven, your mother is by the door and holding it open for you, clearly weighed down with a heavy heart. And for good reason.

"Mom," you say as you walk out the door, "it's gonna be okay. I won't be chosen. I didn't sign up for tesserae this year."

"But you did last year," she answers back. "And the year before that."

"Fine, focus on the negatives," you snap and stomp off, heading for the square. It's wrong for you to talk back at your parents, especially on Reaping Day, but they aren't the ones going in the arena to certain death...

"Jacklyn!" your mother calls, slamming the door shut behind her and running to you. "Jacklyn, please...not today...I don't want our final words to be..." she stopped talking, seeing the pained look in your eyes and instead putting a hand on your shoulder. "It's going to be okay," she offers instead and leans forward, kissing you on the forehead. By the time the two of you make it to the square, there are already hundreds of children lined up to get their fingers pricked for sign-in. You join them without a word to your mother and when you've finished, join the others in front of a stage where Effie Trinket will appear to seal an unlucky person's fate.

It won't be you.

Somewhere in the crowd, you hear screaming. You look to your right and notice a group of young children – they must be 12 and it must be their first year – being held tightly by a man and woman who are mercilessly being pried away by a few peace keepers. Parents are supposed to stay in the back. You are only allowed 5 minutes to say goodbye if you are chosen.

There's a humming and you realize the microphone has been turned on. Your heart tightens inside your chest as memories of your brother's name being chosen flood your mind, and the visions of it almost knock you to your knees. But someone is there to hold you up: Primrose Everdeen. She had been chosen the year before, and her sister had taken her place...she was 13 this year. Her name had gone in again.

"You won't be chosen," she says. You opened your mouth to offer words of condolence as well, but find your mouth is dry from anxiety. She smiles in understanding, halfhearted though it was, and lets go of your arm. "I know," she says. She turns towards the stage as the group of people grow eerily silent and you look over to see that Effie has taken her place at the center of the stage, in front of the microphone where she is soon to announce the name of the man and woman who are to fight to the death in this 75th annual Hunger Games.

The 75th Games are also a Quarter Quell, and President Snow changed the rules this year. The card that depicted how different the Games would be this year was to be read right before the Reaping, to instill more fear than usual into the ones whose names were fair game to be drawn.

"Happy Hunger Games!" echoed through the square and you felt goosebumps form on your skin, all over. You heard this line every year for 15 years, and still it made you shiver at the sound. Even more so this year, since your brother had fallen victim to the words just the year before. He was only 12.

"Before we begin, I would like to play a very special video for you...brought to you all the way from the Capitol!" You looked away from the giant screen, knowing exactly what video was about to play. You listened to the words, explaining in detail about the rebellion of District 13 and why the Hunger Games were necessary for the other Districts to keep themselves in line...and then an end note about the Quarter Quell. This was new compared to the 15 other times you had heard it.

Silence.

"Now, as it is a Quarter Quell, I will read the card that was written 75 years ago!" Effie said delightedly, reaching into her breast pocket and pulling out a silver envelope with the number 75 written on it in fancy script. "Ahem," she cleared her throat and you felt your heart pounding hard in your chest, anxious for the Reaping to just be over with and for you to go home with your mother, thankful for another year with her. And there would be bread from the local bakery, where last year's victor family worked, Peeta Mellark. He won with Katniss Everdeen,his "star-crossed lover"...that was the first year there was ever 2 victors allowed to win. "We will be re-adding the names of the victors this year..." she said lowly, staring at the card in disbelief. And then, as if just remembering she was on camera, she suddenly perked back up and raised the card into the air. "We shall re-add the victors!" she exclaimed, and all eyes shot to either Peeta or Katniss, who was now beside her sister and holding tightly to her hand.

"It won't be you," Primrose said to her as a few cards were thrown into the pool of names. You looked over at Katniss whose expression you could not read, and then looked around her at Peeta whose jaw you could see was tightened, and his fists were clenched tightly at his side. Nobody stood beside him. His family didn't care. I desperately wanted to go and comfort him as Prim had done with me, but girls had to remain on their designated side of the square.

"Now," Effie said, "ladies first!" Your heart began to pound even harder, as if that was possible, and you ooked away from Peeta briefly and back at the stage. You couldn't stop thinking about him as she made her way back to the pool of names, and how you had had a crush on him for years...as long as you ould remember. And you couldn't help but remember how relieved you were that he had become a victor, but how disgusted you felt that it was because he was so "in love" with Katniss Everdeen. Your stomach churned angrily at the thought. Effie pulled the name and it was as if every heart in the room had stopped beating. Everybody was dead...but one of you was certainly going to be soon.

As Effie stopped at the microphone and opened the slip of paper in her hand, you began to look around at everyone, taking them all in and wondering which one of them was about to be chosen. Your name had been in the pool 10 times due to take tesserae – it normally would have only been in 6 times – and you knew for sure it wouldn't be you who had to go to the arena. As you glanced around at everyone, faces turned white and you barely heard Effie say the name of female tribute in the background. You continued to scan the crowd, waiting for someone to step forward and then noticed that everyone was now staring back at you, Katniss and Prim with tears in their eyes and your mother was crying audibly in the background. Your heart sank suddenly. You looked towards the stage.

"Jacklyn? Come on up, dear," Effie said sweetly and Prim squeezed your hand, letting you know it would be okay. But you knew it wouldn't.

A path began to form in front of the stage for you. You swallowed hard and allowed yourself to move forward, taking your place to the right of Effie as she patted your back and introduced you as the female victor in this year's Hunger Games. Your heart was screaming out for your mother who was avoiding your gaze at all costs as you stared into the crowd at her. You looked over to the boy's side and immediately averted your gaze as you noticed Peeta, the boy you were surely in love with, staring at you with a saddened, if not broken-hearted, expression. Was he maybe in love with you too, and sad to see you go? No, that couldn't be it. He was just sad to mentor you and watch you die this year...

"Now, for the men!" Effie said loudly, squeezing your hand as Prim had done, and walking over to the pool of men's names. She dipped her hand in and you barely heard her return to the microphone, jumping as she sighed loudly into it.

"And this year's male tribute from District 12 is..."

But all of the square knew who it was. She didn't sigh like that for no reason. You were going to have to kill the one person you loved. And not "fake" loved, like that Katniss girl. Real, genuine, heart-wrenching to hear his name called, love.

"Peeta Mellark."

End of Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

To the Capitol

As if it hearing his name being drawn for the Games wasn't enough, it was almost too much to bear to feel him sitting beside you in the car that was whisking you both off to the train that was to take you to the Capitol. Here, you were going to be expected to fight and die like a champion. You thought this was a ridiculous idea considering the most you had ever killed was, well, nothing. There was no way you would make it out.

Neither of you were speaking as the car winded its way through the depressed, worn-out streets of what you were surely going to be calling home for the last time. You didn't even get to say goodbye to your mother...the rules had been changed regarding this too: as soon as you and Peeta had shook hands and been announced the Tributes of District 12, you were immediately pulled from the stage by peace keepers and thrown into the car, practically on top of each other, barely having time to shut the door before the car began on its way. You would have fallen out if Peeta hadn't grabbed your arm.

When you were both on the train, you were taken aback by the amount of food that greeted you upon arrival, and by the look of complete indifference on Peeta's face. You immediately grabbed a slice of bread with an orange coating on it, stuffed it in your mouth and shut your eyes against the deliciousness, savoring the taste on the buds of your tongue as long as you could before you were forced to swallow so you wouldn't choke. You grabbed a glass of juice from beside a tray of cream-filled donuts, and gulped it down before looking over at Peeta who was staring out the opposite window with a grim expression.

"Why aren't you eating?" you asked after a drawn out "ahh" of satisfaction and pat of your stomach, and then you remembered that he was a Victor, and he had a never ending supply of food. He probably went to the Reaping with a full stomach. But then again, maybe not...even though he had a very high social status among the rest of you in District 12, he rarely acted above you. He ate what you ate, and sometimes slept where you slept, in his old house, still having an obligation to help with the bakery. Only when he had to did he act otherwise, and that was when he was on tour with Katniss.

Katniss.

How you hated that girl and her fake love for someone you had real feelings for...she only "fell in love" with Peeta so that she could get out of the arena. You were glad she didn't die, but you hated the reason for which she didn't. So your crush on Peeta meant nothing, because nothing could happen. Not when the cameras were always fixated on him and her, broadcasting them to all of Panem as the "star-crossed lovers" of District 12. They were far from star-crossed, and you knew that...she was just hungry one day like the rest of you and Peeta happened to have burnt some bread. That's not really an impressive story in your opinion.

You were so lost in your raging thoughts of Katniss, that you didn't notice Peeta standing beside you, examining a piece of bread in his hands. You looked at him quickly, startled, and blushed. You turned away just as fast so that he wouldn't see the tint in your cheeks. You looked back after a moment as he began to talk.

"For something that's supposed to be unlike any other in the world," Peeta began, turning the bread over in his hand, "I've tasted better." He took a bite and swallowed, licking the glaze off his lips. You almost died. He looked at you. "And I made it." You smiled slightly and he laughed, stuffing the rest of the bread into his mouth and walking to the corner of the train, sighed and dropped into a chair. "I can't believe this is happening again," he said and your heart began to pound in your chest, trying to find the right words to say to someone you didn't even feel you had a right to talk to.

"I'm sorry," was all you came up with. He looked at you again.

"Don't let anyone here you say that," he said, "we're supposed to congratulate each other." You stared at him in confusion.

"For being forced to kill each other?" you asked.

"Pretty much," he said. He looked away from you and back out the window, breathing in and out slowly as if to relax himself. But you knew there would be no relaxing for either of you. Not really.

"I don't think it's fair," you blurted out, "we're not even part of District 13."

"Well that's because there is no District 13," he said slightly accusingly, and still not looking your way. You were thrown off guard by his hostility, having watched his Games last year and seeing how nice he had treated Katniss. You supposed you weren't as pretty as her, and thats why he was paying you no attention. And then, as if you could possibly forget, you remembered they were lovers and his life depended on not paying you any attention. You licked your lips, just now realizing how dry they were, and hoped in your heart that Peeta hadn't noticed. There was no cure for something as simple as dry lips, and especially this time of year, it was almost as unattractive as a bad case of conjunctivitis. Almost.

"I'm sorry," you said, finding yourself unsure of what to say again. He tore his eyes from the window and looked your way. Your face turned red and you hid it with your hair. He sighed.

"Come sit down, will you?" he said. You didn't move. "Please." You felt tears well up in your eyes at his invitation, it seemed so heart-felt. But every time you began to be lifted by the thought of him actually caring for you, you remembered her. You remained standing with your hair covering your face, your head and heart pounding, until you heard the sliding doors open and you both looked over in response. Katniss walked in. Peeta stood up.

"I'm so sorry," she gasped, walking quickly to Peeta and throwing her arms around his neck. Your stomach panged with anger but you tried not to let it show on your face.

"It's gonna be okay," he said, running a hand over her hair and holding her close. Of course she was the one who needed reassuring. Even though she wasn't the one about to go get slaughtered in the Games. They both broke apart and she looked at you.

"I'm supposed to say congratulations, but I'm not going to," she said, walking over. "I hope you're not going to rat me out." You tried not to, but your face broke out into a sort of half-smile. You really wanted to hate her, but she made herself so easy to like. You broke down and began to cry. She immediately enveloped you in her arms. "Shh," she whispered as you heard Peeta walk over. "You're gonna be fine." Peeta placed a hand on your shoulder from behind and gently pulled the hair from your face that was sticking where your tears fell. His touch sent electricity through you and you choked on a sob, burying your face in Katniss's shoulder to make it inaudible.

"Please come sit down," Peeta said again, and you allowed Katniss to lead you to the chair opposite the one he had been sitting in. You fell into it, drawing your knees to your chest and wrapping your arms around your legs and resting your forehead against your knees. You let the tears fall silently now as Katniss sank into the chair beside you, and Peeta reclaimed the one had before. They were both quiet until you looked up again. You were conscious of your puffy eyes and runny nose, and so was Katniss. She handed you a tissue. You thanked her and rubbed your nose.

"I'm sorry," you said for the third time in an hour. But for a different reason this time.

"Don't be sorry," Peeta said. You looked at him and he wasn't smiling, so you quickly looked back at the tissue in your hand. You sniffled.

"I'm gonna let you two catch up," you said, standing up and walking to the sliding doors.

"Wait," Katniss said but you were already gone, walking quickly to your room, embarrassed that you had let yourself fall apart in front of Peeta. It was Katniss's fault for trying to make a joke in such a delicate situation. She had no heart, you decided. Not for anyone except herself and the ones she loved. And she didn't love you...she probably thought you were going to die. You were just a piece in the Games she was forced to watch you play. But that's probably all she would do: watch. She would round up a bunch of sponsors for Peeta, get him plenty of food and water, and just watch you die. You hoped that she did just that, so that the world could see how cruel of a person she really was. As you neared your room, Haymitch Abernathy came walking out of his.

"Congratulation, sweetheart," he said with a drunken stupor and a sarcastic smile. You rammed past him. He fell backwards into his door, the drink in his hand spilling slightly. He began to yell but you didn't hear what he said as you ran into your room and slammed the door shut. You pressed your back against it and started to cry again. You threw yourself onto the bed on your stomach, hugged the pillow to your face and began to scream. You continued to scream until you passed out from lack of air and didn't wake up again until there was a knock at your door.

You jumped.

"What?" you said, trying to sound as normal as possible. If it was Peeta, you didn't want him to see you unraveled like before.

"Come on to lunch, dear," came the voice of the woman who had sealed your fate in the first place: Effie Trinket. "We're almost to the Capitol!" Almost to the Capitol? Did you really sleep a whole day and a half? Your heart skipped a beat inside you, and the tears came again. But you pulled yourself to your feet as your stomach grumbled, and walked out the door. You followed Effie to the dining room where Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch were already seated. You sat down at the opposite end, keeping your head low as you were served your first dish. Soup.

"How are you feeling?" Katniss asked from across the table as you began to eat, quickly filling your stomach so you could go back to bed. You said nothing.

"Well I'm feeling great," Haymitch said sarcastically, rubbing his elbow high in the air so you could see. You ignored him.

"I need you all to remember to bathe right after lunch!" Effie said, "Especially Jacklyn and Peeta." Your stomach churned and you almost brought up your soup. "And don't forget under your nails!" she said, looking directly at you, "otherwise your prep team will throw a fit." You swallowed your last spoonful and went to get up, but stopped when you noticed Peeta now beside you. You stared at him.

"Are you doing okay?" he asked, "we've been wondering." You didn't say anything, you just looked down at your fingers, playing with them. "You were asleep for over a day."

"I guess I just needed to sleep," you said lowly, still looking down. He stood up.

"Do you need me to show you where the bathroom is?" he asked. You looked up at him. His eyes seemed sad. Maybe he was just tired.

"I think I can find the bathroom," you said, standing up and brushing past him as the server came around with your next plate.

"You really should eat before we get to the Capitol!" Effie called after you, but you ignored her. She began to complain, saying I was acting just like Katniss at the beginning last year, not caring and doing whatever you please. As her voice died away when the sliding doors closed, you turned on your heel and brought your fist through them, slicing your knuckles open and piercing the air with the screams of Effie and Katniss. You turned again and stomped to the bathroom, walked in and turned to see Peeta stepping around the girls who had gathered at the door, and over the glass on the floor to get to you. He seemed concerned. You didn't care. You slammed the door in his face.

End of chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

The Capitol

For the rest of the trip on the train, you felt guilty. And for good reason. You were so desperately in love with someone that you couldn't have, and so you were distancing yourself from him as much as you could. But you didn't want distance. You wanted to be close to him. You even wanted to be Katniss Everdeen if it meant you could be in his arms.

At around 4:30 that evening, there was a soft knock on your bedroom door. You looked up from the gash on your knuckles and towards the sound, swallowing hard and ignoring the instantaneous pounding in your chest.

"Yes?" you practically whispered and the person knocked again. You cleared your throat. "Yes?" you said louder and your door opened a crack. Peeta peered inside.

"Jacklyn?" he said cautiously, as though the sound of his voice was going to send you off again. You said nothing. "Can I come in?"

"Why?" you asked.

"Well, we're about to be at the Capitol any minute and I didn't know if you wanted to talk." Your heart almost stopped. How could you have wasted so much time? It seemed like just yesterday you had boarded the train. The tears began to well up in your eyes and you bowed your head so that Peeta wouldn't see. You sniffled quietly and put a hand up to your cheek, catching a tear as it fell and wiping it away. Peeta opened the door more.

"I don't want to talk," you snapped, turning your body away from him, grabbing your blanket and wrapping it around yourself. It was nearly 70 degrees in your room, but the goosebumps that were covering your skin made you feel cold. Peeta said nothing, he just stared at you. "Please go away. I will be out when we are there."

"We are going to have to work together, you know," he said. You wanted to, but you said nothing, just continued to let yourself be comforted by the warmness of your blanket. "In the Games," he added, as if you didn't know what he had meant. You turned towards him.

"What?"

"If we both want to get out alive, I mean." You laughed, catching Peeta and yourself off guard. You didn't expect that sort of reaction to come out of you, but it did. You shook your head with a slight smile, trying to play it off as if you meant to react like that. He sat on the edge of your bed. You didn't acknowledge him. "It's possible," he said, "we can do it. We've been discussing it all afternoon." You felt your face grow hot with frustration.

"Without me?" you said, fixating on a spot on the sheet before you.

"Well, we didn't want to bother you."

"Why not?" There was a pause. You started to look at him, but he looked rigid with annoyance in your peripherals so you decided not to. You opened your mouth to repeat yourself, but he cut you off.

"Well, this is why!" he said, "you're being impossible. I don't know what I did, or Katniss did, or _anyone_ did, really! You're just shutting yourself out and not letting anyone help you. I know you're scared, so am I...but you need to let someone _help _you." You looked over at him, feeling the tears well up again.

"I-" you started, but he interrupted again.

"No, you can't just go around punching through glass doors and slamming them in people's faces. Not everyone will be as understand as me and Katniss...especially not Haymitch. And definitely not Effie...if this train was alive, she would think it was a God." You smiled slightly at the thought, and then stopped immediately when you noticed his expression was still grim.

"I'm sorry," you whispered.

"What?" he said, leaning in slightly.

"I said I'm sorry." His expression lightened a little and you could feel him relax. "I don't know why I'm angry. Well, I do. But I'm not mad at you guys. I'm sorry I've been so mean."

"Come here," he said and your heart nearly leaped out of your throat as he grabbed your arms and pulled you to him, wrapping his around you and holding you close. You pressed your lips against his shoulder and breathed in his scent, wishing the moment wouldn't end. But of course it had to. And of course it had to end because of Katniss.

"Hello," she said and the two of you broke apart. Peeta turned towards her at the door.

"Hey," he said, putting a hand on your shoulder. "It's all right now." He stood up. "Are we there?" Katniss sighed.

"Yeah. We just went through the tunnel. They are expecting you two at the windows with a smile."

"Who?" you asked and she looked at you.

"The citizens." Peeta grabbed your hand and pulled you up with him.

"Come on. It'll make a good first impression." You followed behind him with a pounding head and heart, not sure what to expect when you pulled into the station. But surely it would have been anything other than what you saw. Pink and green skin, blue hair, nails as long as your fingers, eye lashes that extended well beyond what should be considered normal...these weren't people. They were cartoon characters. And it wasn't until Peeta placed a hand on the small of your back that you were able to force a smile and raise a hand to wave at the citizens that were screaming your name.

Screaming _your_ name.

Screaming Peeta's name.

These people were excited to see you. They were excited to welcome you into their city. But it was more than that, and you knew. These people were only excited to welcome you into their city because it was where the Hunger Games were being hosted. They were excited to see you die. They were excited to only welcome one of you back onto the train, if even one of you survived. It was disgusting how the paint on their faces was cracking from them smiling so hard, and how they had their children sitting on their shoulders, desperate for a first glance of the District 12 tributes in the flesh. It bothered you that nobody seemed upset that this could be your last possible ride in a train. Your last smile for a crowd. Your last chance to have Peeta's hand on your back. Your last chance to...

And then you felt it. The soup you had eaten that afternoon, coming up. Panic rushed through your body, and you went tense against Peeta's hand. He looked over at you in confusion and you began to wish that you had thrown up earlier when Effie told you to clean your nails well. You swallowed, but your throat was too tight for it to do any good.

"Are you okay?" Peeta asked. You tried to swallow again.

"I'm gonna-" you began, but it was too late. Soon, the contents of your stomach plastered the walls and part of the window, sending the citizens back with screams of disgust. They sounded horrified, as if they had never seen such a thing happen. You began to wonder if you were the first to ever get sick.

"Come on," Peeta said, grabbing your arm as Effie, Haymitch and Katniss came around the corner looking confused, and he rushed you to the bathroom to clean you up. You sat on the toilet and leaned forward, clutching at your stomach. Peeta wet a cloth. "Are you going to be sick again?" he asked. You shook your head.

"No," you said, and no sooner had the words left your mouth, you lurched forward and released the rest of your lunch. He jumped back and then helped you to your knees beside the toilet, lifting the cover. The other three walked into the bathroom.

"What is going on?!" Effie asked.

"She got sick," Peeta said as you threw up a final time into the bowl. You leaned back and breathed out, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand.

"Oh no!" Effie cried, running forward and then stopping in her tracks at the sight of the mess on the floor. "Wash your hand! Hurry! We are going to be ushered off the train any minute!" Peeta took your hand and wiped it clean with the cloth he was holding. He then helped you up.

"Are we done painting the walls?" Haymitch asked sarcastically and you glared at him weakly. "Let's go." You looked at Katniss who looked genuinely worried about you, but you didn't care. You hated her. And your hate continued to grow as Peeta helped you out of the bathroom and then released your arm to take her hand. After all, you were about to be in front of the cameras, and they were supposed to be in love.

You fought the tears back and stepped off the train behind Haymitch, blinking repeatedly at the sun and becoming aware of the growling in your stomach. Great, now you were hungry. And you had to participate in the Hunger Games. You had had your last chance to eat. Unless they fed you before you went in.

You were ushered into a giant building and whisked off to a separate room than Peeta, which only made you feel more nauseous. But you were safe, there was nothing left in your stomach to come up. A few minutes went by of you being alone, and a few people walked in with different colored skin. One woman was green, and had nails like talons. The man had blue hair, and the other woman had gold tattoos all over her skin.

"Well," said the man, "at least she isn't as bad as Katniss." You said nothing, just stared at him.

"Prettier, even," said the woman with the talons.

"Much," the second woman agreed, and they set to work. It felt good having someone take care of you, and it felt even better knowing they thought you were better to look at then Katniss. It made your heart feel lighter, knowing that you could possibly have Peeta if you wanted to. Of course, if he wasn't already "in love".

As the three colorful people worked on you, they completely lost themselves in chatter about President Snow, and a birthday party that went horribly wrong, and how this year's Games was going to turn out. They all voted in your favor, but you tuned them out. You didn't care.

When they were finished, you looked flawless. Your eyebrows were perfectly shaped, your skin was completely hairless, your make up complemented your face perfectly, and your nails were manicured so well, you thought even an ice pick couldn't chip them. You smiled slightly, agreeing that you looked better than Katniss. It made you feel superior.

"What about my hair?" you asked.

"Cinna asked us to save that for last," the man said as they left the room. You stared at yourself again. You were superior. You were gorgeous. Peeta would probably fall in love with you tonight. It was too bad so many lives depended on him not doing that. You were so lost in your thoughts about stealing him from her, that you didn't hear the door open. You didn't see the man with golden eyeliner stand beside you. You didn't feel his hand on your arm. But you did hear him say your name.

You looked over in fright, having not noticed his presence at all, and your heart sunk in your chest knowing what him being here meant.

"Hi, I'm Cinna," he said.

And It was time to make an impression.

End of Chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4

Opening Ceremonies

You didn't expect a pink dress. You didn't expect the yellow eye shadow. You definitely didn't expect your hair to be done up in curls and dyed a strawberry blonde. You stared at yourself in the mirror, taking in the mascara, the lipstick, the blush, and wondered who you were looking at. Cinna appeared behind you.

"What does this have to do with coal mining?" you asked. He smiled.

"I thought you'd never ask." He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a magazine article, folded a few times to make it small. He opened it and handed it to you, and your eyebrows raised in surprise. You'd never seen this before.

"Who are they?" you asked, running your hand over the picture. There was a woman wearing the exact same dress you were, her hair done up and dyed the same, and her make up matched yours to a tee. You could be twins. Beside her was a man dressed in what looked like a brown, corduroy suit with a tie as red as the lipstick that outlined the woman's gleaming white teeth. The man's hair was the same color as Peeta's, so nothing would be done to it. You were jealous of him, having had been fond of your dark brown locks. "And when do I get my hair back?" Cinna smiled at you again.

"It will fade," he said and then took the picture back. "It's from 1955. Mr and Mrs Locke. They ran the mines in your district back then. Very famous, very wealthy people."

"What happened to them?"

"The same thing that happens to all who dare to have more power than the Capitol." Cinna said, placing the picture back in his pocket. He didn't need to go on, you understood: they were killed.

"Will we be lit on fire this year?" you asked. Cinna laughed.

"No." He turned and grabbed a pair of white gloves from the table behind him. When he was facing you again, he gestured for your hands. "That was Katniss's debute. I want to show you off how you come off."

"How do I come off?" you asked defensively, allowing him to slip the gloves on your hands. You were fascinated by the texture which felt like silk, but wasn't quite. You stared at them and they were almost see through; if you didn't know any better, you'd say you were wearing a sheet of glass. Cinna interrupted your thoughts.

"Shy," he said, tilting his head as he looked at you, "Timid. Passionate."

"What do you mean 'passionate? I'm not passionate." You rolled your eyes and looked away, embarrassed at the thought.

"It's all in your eyes," he said and you looked back at him. "You love somebody, and I can tell." You blushed.  
"No I don't," you lied.

"It's not a bad thing," he said, "it sets you apart from those who, well, mask it. Like Katniss." You made a noise that was a cross between a laugh and a cry of disgust. He opened his mouth to continue, but you interrupted.

"She doesn't mask it," you snapped, looking away and down at the floor. "She's falling all over him every time they're together." Cinna stepped forward, put a hand under your chin and raised your head. He smiled at you.

"I wasn't talking about Peeta," he said. Your cheeks flushed, and you knew that he knew you loved him. You smiled uneasily. He patted you on the shoulder as a light buzzing noise erupted near his ear, and he stood silent for a moment, listening. His eyes flickered over to you when he was done.

"It's time," he said and your heart sank. You were enjoying talking to him. "Are you ready?" You shook your head and he smiled sympathetically, offering his hand. You took it silently and he walked with you to the giant doors that would soon open into the Capitol building's largest room. When he let go of your hand, you looked at him so quickly that you were sure your neck had snapped in the process.

"Where do I go?" you asked. He pointed off to the corner of the room where you glimpsed Peeta, standing beside a chariot with his brown corduroy suit and red tie. His hair was parted and combed neatly, just like in the picture. You walked to him. "Hey," you said, your voice shaking slightly. He looked at you and his eyebrows raised a little.

"Wow," he said. You said nothing. "I saw the picture...I didn't think they would actually dye your hair."

"Well they did," you said. You didn't mean to be short with him, but the thought of the Capitol even having control of your hair color made you upset. He sighed.

"Come on." He grabbed your hand and helped you into the chariot, joining you on the other side and closing the side door. As the horses whinnied in front of you, you glanced around at the other tributes. They all looked so big, so strong, so intimidating. Except for one, who couldn't be mistaken as anything but what she was: a 12 year old. You always held a sadness in your heart for those who were picked their first year, especially this year. You thought about how scared you were to be participating in the Games, and then tried to imagine how your brother had felt last year on his own chariot. You couldn't.

"Everyone looks better than me," you blurted out. Peeta squeezed your hand.

"Look at me," he said. You didn't. "Jacklyn. Look at me." He pulled on your hand slightly and you gave in.

"What?" you said.

"You look amazing." You blushed. "Have you actually seen the other Tributes up close? Their stylists are trying to copy Cinna. They tried to add lights onto the costumes this year. Have you ever seen a cow with light up spots?" You laughed, picturing it in your head. He laughed too.

"No," you said quietly.

"Okay then." He squeezed your hand again reassuringly and your heart skipped a beat. The doors open with a loud creak and your heart skipped a beat again, but for a different reason.

"You shouldn't hold my hand," you said, trying to pull away. He held on tighter.

"We're supposed to be Mr and Mrs Locke," he reminded you. "They were very energetic people...we need to be the same." Your stomach dropped.

"I'm not energetic," you said quickly as the chariots began to move forward. "I don't know how to be."

"Well, you have about 10 seconds to figure it out." You looked ahead at the other Tributes as they entered the giant room, struggling to figure out how to act. The cheering of the crowd was all you could think about. The crowd cheering for the people they were about to watch be slaughtered.

"Peeta," you said, as your chariot neared the door, "I-"

"Just follow my lead." Your heart pounded as you entered the room, and the crowd erupted in a fresh set of cheers. Peeta flashed a smile, gripping your hand tight, and threw his left arm up in the air as if about to take a bow. The ladies screamed in response and you realized what you had to do. You stepped away from Peeta a bit and turned towards the crowd on your side, throwing your right arm up and smiling the most dazzling smile you could. Men. Lots of them. Screaming your name. You would have thrown up if you hadn't already that day.

A new wave of screaming came from Peeta's side and you turned in time to see him throwing a rose out into the audience. Where did he get a rose? You stared at him questioningly and then remembered that the parade was being filmed. You smiled again and blew a kiss out to your side of the audience, and the movement of your arm made a shower of white petals fly from your sleeve and swirl around behind you. The crowd went wild. You smiled a genuine smile. Cinna was too creative.

Before you knew what was happening, Peeta had thrown an arm around your waist and had pulled you close. You looked at him in shock and he grinned at you. He reached up towards your hair, grabbed the pins that was holding it back, and ripped them all out, sending them flying into the stands. Your hair flew out behind you, a mess of curls, and you smiled slightly. He grabbed your arm and pulled you close, turning quickly towards his side of the crowd and dipping you low as you would do in dance. It felt good to feel the breeze on your face as you leaned back, almost out the door, and then he pulled you back up and brushed the hair from your face.

"Cinna didn't tell you this," Peeta said quickly, "but our outfits are about to change." He twirled you once and then pulled you closer than you had ever been.

"Why didn't he tell me?" you asked.

"So that you wouldn't have time to change your mind." He put his hands on your waist and lifted you up, turning in circles as you held onto his shoulders with a smile. When he set you back down, you were almost to the front of the room. You felt so electrified by his touch, and by the thought that Katniss might be watching and be jealous. You hoped that she was. The horses began to slow down.

"When?!" you wanted to scream, but you whispered it instead.

"Count to 3," he whispered back, "and then just stare straight ahead." You began to count down from three in your head: 3...2...1...and then it happened. A loud bang and a puff of smoke as your chariot came to a stop in front of the large podium, and you immediately knew that something was different when your dress didn't feel lacy, but tight, and Peeta's hand wasn't in yours. Your desperately wanted to look and see what had changed, but you did what he said and looked straight ahead. There was silence throughout the crowd. The microphone came to life.

"Welcome, Tributes," came the voice of President Snow, sending shivers through down your spine, "and Happy Hunger Games." He paused. "May the odds be..._ever_ in your favor." You could feel his eyes on you as the crowd once again roared to life, and your chariot turned around and headed back towards the entrance. You stared ahead the entire time. You felt President Snow's eyes on the back of your head. When you got back outside the room, the first person you sought out was Cinna.

"All of that for a few simple words?" you asked, stepping off the chariot and walking over to him. "Does that happen every year?" Cinna said nothing, and you realized he could be punished for agreeing with any remarks made against the Capitol. Peeta appeared by your side.

"Have you looked in the mirror yet?" he asked. You had completely forgot, your wardrobe had changed at the end of the parade.

"Thanks for warning me, by the way," you said accusingly, walking away from him before he had the chance to respond, and finding a mirror by a water fountain. You gasped at the sight of yourself, in a tight-fitting black dress, smoky make-up and your normal hair color. If you had the choice, this is what you would wear back in the Seam. But it is illegal to dress provocatively. You looked over at Peeta, wearing a rich black suit, his hair slightly ruffled, his hands in his pocket. That must have been why he wasn't holding yours.

"He wanted to show the Capitol that you and I aren't gonna play their silly game. We may for a little while, but at the end of the day...we're still going to be ourselves." You looked back towards the mirror and processed this, as well as something else...

Cinna would probably be dead by morning.

End of chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5

Day Before Training

You didn't get out of bed for most of the day following opening ceremonies. The tributes were given a day to get their thoughts together before training began this year. You stared at the ceiling well into the afternoon, wondering if this was the last time you'd be able to do such a thing. Your stomach churned at the thought and then growled. You sighed, not wanting to get out of bed for anything; not even to eat.

"Jacklyn, dear," came Effie's voice from the other side of your door, "lunch is ready! Please don't skip this meal too!" Her voice was so joyful it seemed to jingle a little, if that was even possible. She was from the Capitol, practically anything was possible here.

"I'd rather starve to death," you muttered to yourself as your stomach growled again. You put your hands over it, trying to block out the noise but it forced its way through your fingers and you sighed again. Then a thought hit you: what if you _could_ starve yourself to death? It would be a very easy out. Painful, but easy...maybe a little too easy. No. There would be no way you could pull that off. Someone from the Capitol would realize what you were doing, and suddenly 10 people would be in your face, forcing you to eat and jabbing needles in your arms to keep you alive. Tears welled into your eyes. There was no way you could escape.

You swung your legs over the side of your bed and forced yourself into a sitting position, your back popping and cracking in protest as you stood. You raised your arms above your head and stretched your muscles, leaning back and then cracking your neck on each side. You moaned in content, rubbing your shoulders, and then walked to the door, opened it and stepped into the hallway. You walked down the narrow way and down the stairs to the dining room, taking a place at the table and breathing in and out deeply. Effie looked at you.

"Where were you for breakfast?" she asked, handing you a basket of bread. You accepted it without a word.

"Sleeping," you said, although you hadn't been. There was no sleeping when you were a Tribute. You would have all the time in the world to sleep when you were dead. Which you just realized could be startlingly soon. You felt the urge to throw up, but you stuffed a roll of bread in your mouth instead to keep it from coming. You chewed for what seemed like minutes with Effie staring at you, until finally you were able to swallow the mound and pick up another before she could say anything. You went to stuff that one in your mouth as well until you realized how empty the table was. You looked around. "Where is Peeta?" you asked. Effie shrugged.

"I'm not sure," she said, "I assumed he was sleeping as well." She checked her watch. "Or perhaps he is with Katniss, she is supposed to be giving you both advice after all." Your stomach churned angrily at the sound of her name and you squeezed the bread you were holding in your hand until it was a third of its regular size. You threw it on the table. "Oh!" Effie said out of surprise. You didn't say anything for a minute, just sat there fuming. She cleared her throat. "Was there...something wrong with the bread she asked?" You breathed in deeply and then let it out with a sigh, rolling your eyes and looking at her.

"No," you said, picking it up and placing it on your plate. "I'm sorry."

"Oh good!" she exclaimed, grabbing another and taking a bite. "I ordered this from the finest place in the Capitol so it really should be just about the best thing you've ever tasted!" She continued to go on about the bread, but you weren't listening as your ears focused in on another sound. Yelling. It was coming from a few doors behind you. "Where are you going?" Effie asked as you stood up and began to move towards the sound curiously.

"Don't worry, I'm not running away if that's what you're wondering," you said sarcastically, not looking back at her.

"Oh, it would be impossible to even escape, dear," Effie said delightedly. "With all the force field and peace keepers, you know." You knew. You ignored her and kept moving towards the yelling. You were picking up a few words the closer you got, and it gave you a good idea of who you were going to find on the other side of the door. You heard your name as well as "outfit" and "weakness" and "dependent" and "targeted". You wondered what was going on. You needed to find out.

You closed in on the door with a few more swift steps and put your hand on the knob, turning it and opening the door silently. You saw Haymitch standing about a foot away from Peeta, leaning in towards him menacingly, his face red with anger. Cinna was beside the two of them with his usual calm demeanor, but you could tell by the look in his eyes that he really wanted to be the one yelling.

"I hope you know you just sealed both of your fates!" Haymitch shouted and Peeta winced as spit caught him just below the eye. You furrowed your brow in disgust and opened the door a little more. Nobody noticed.

"I-" Peeta began but Haymitch cut him off.

"You nothing!" He shouted. "All the work we've been putting into this, trying to keep this year's Tributes alive! And you're just going to throw it all away because you feel bad! Dammit, kid, you can't save everyone!" Cinna looked up at you, finally noticing you were there.

"Jacklyn," he said, putting a hand up to stop Haymitch from continuing his rant. He looked at Cinna in confusion and then over at you, breathing in and out deeply to steady himself. "Jacklyn," Cinna said again, walking towards you. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," you said as he put a hand on your shoulder. "Are you three all right?" you asked, gesturing back towards Haymitch and Peeta. Haymitch was staring at you, and Peeta was avoiding your gaze at all costs. Cinna looked back at the two of them and his grip tightened slightly on your shoulder. You could tell he was frustrated with Peeta over something. You wish you knew what.

"Everything's fine," he lied, smiling at you. "Did you get any lunch?"

"Why were you yelling at him?" you asked, unable to believe that Cinna was trying to make small talk considering the situation you had just walked in on. You were staring at Peeta, trying to get him to make eye contact with you, but he just continued to stare at the floor. He looked about ready to break down. "Why were you-"

"Come on," Cinna said, grabbing onto your arm and trying to get you to walk with him. You ripped your arm out of his grasp.

"Stop babying me!" you shouted and Effie stood up from the dining table, looking in your direction. She started to ask what was wrong, but you interrupted saying, "I'm f*cking 16 years old!" Peeta looked up at you now, never having heard you speak this way, and you were about to look back at him when you heard footsteps coming down the stairs. You turned to see Katniss making her way towards you all. "And here _she_ comes!" you said, throwing your hands in the air and turning away from the door, stomping your way back to the dining room as Katniss stopped in her tracks, confused.

"Oh no," you heard Haymitch say, "I'm not done with you." You could tell Peeta had tried to follow you, and you really wish he had. Anger flooded through you at Haymitch's words and you whipped around, running straight at the door with the intent to shove him away from Peeta and beat him into the ground. However, Cinna's arm met you halfway there and he held onto your waist to keep you from going any further. You scratched at his arms and stomped on his feet, but nothing worked. His grip remained the same.

"Let me go," you said, "and let him go!" The door had already been shut before you had made your sprint at it, but you could see through a tiny window at the top that Katniss was now in there and this infuriated you. "Shouldn't the tributes be working together?!" you asked angrily and Cinna grabbed your shoulders, turning you to look at him.

"Jacklyn," he said harshly, shaking you slightly. You fell back the earth with a painful bump, tearing your eyes away from the door and looking at him. "Are you with me?" he asked. You swallowed, looking away from him for a split second until he shook you again and you once again met his gaze. "Well?" he said.

"It's not fair," you finally said, tears spilling from your eyes. "Her and him. She doesn't even love him. She's just using him so she doesn't die!" Cinna took hold of your arm and with another glance towards the window, you could see that Haymitch was doing the same with Peeta but his grip was more forceful. He was yelling again. Katniss was trying to calm him down and this was all you had to thank her for.

"Come sit down," Cinna said, bringing you to rejoin Effie at the table.

"What in the world is going on?" she asked as you sat down, burying your face in your hands and beginning to sob. Cinna took a seat opposite you and leaned forward, rubbing your arm soothingly until your choked sobs turned into just crying. Effie didn't say another word, she just began to busy herself with her schedules. Your throat was beginning to constrict the more upset you got, and it was getting hard to breathe. You needed to move your hands from your face to get more air, but you were embarrassed to have Cinna see you in this condition.

"Jacklyn," he said for the fourth time in 10 minutes. "Stop crying." He didn't say it meanly, he said it gently. "Please." The way he had added the word 'please' at the end of his sentence reminded you of the time Peeta had asked you to sit down with you. You wished you had. You moved your hands, but looked to the right so that he couldn't see your face. He handed you a tissue. You took it and wiped your eyes.

"Thank you," you said and your voice cracked. He rested a hand on your leg.

"You're welcome." You dabbed at your eyes again as a new round of tears came and Cinna scooted his chair closer, wrapping his arms you and holding you close. But as comforted as you felt, these weren't the arms you wanted wrapped around you. You wanted Peeta. As your crying fit ended, you pulled away from him and pushed the hair away from your face that was sticking to the skin that was wet from your tears. It reminded you of when Peeta did it a couple days before and you began to cry again. Cinna sighed and patted your leg. "It's going to be okay," he said. You sniffled and coughed, holding the tissue to your nose to keep it from running and then the door opened and Haymitch walked out, followed by an upset looking Peeta and Katniss. She was holding onto his arm tightly to support him and it made your heart burst with anger. You stood up, knocking Cinna's hand aside and walked swiftly to the stairs, bumping shoulders with Haymitch along the way.

"Hey!" he shouted, "you need to stop making a habit of that!" You ignored him and ran the rest of the way to your room. When you got inside, you threw yourself in bed as you had done the night on the train and began to scream into your pillow. You screamed until you couldn't scream anymore, but this time you didn't pass out. Lightheaded, you pulled your face away so that you could breathe.

"Jacklyn," Cinna was saying at you door. "Please open up."

"Just go away!" you said, "I'm fine, I just want to be alone!"

"You haven't eaten lunch!" said Effie and you were about ready to whip open your door, grab her by her powdered neck and shake the life out of her. You were so tired of being bossed around. You had never felt this angry before. You had never _been_ this angry before. It was as if being chosen for the games and being around Katniss had changed everything about you.

"Come on, let's just leave her be," Cinna said and you heard their footsteps move away from the door. "No, Peeta," he said and your stomach leaped into your throat, "no company for her right now." Your stomach sank, but it wasn't a bad feeling...you really didn't want to see him either. You let yourself drift off to sleep. You dreamed of yelling, screaming, Peeta, Katniss, Haymitch, Cinna, Effie and a giant watch that resembled the one she carried around. All 8 things were closing in on you as you sat huddled in a corner, defenseless, and it caused you to wake up screaming while bolting upright in bed.

"Are you okay?" someone said at the foot of your bed and you jumped, looking towards them. It was Peeta. You breathed in and out deeply, moving the hair from your eyes and looking at your alarm clock. It was 6am. You looked back at him, saying nothing. He sighed. "I didn't know if you wanted to get breakfast and go down to training together." Your heart constricted in your chest.

Training.

And so it began.

End of Chapter 5


	6. Chapter 6

Training Day 1

You didn't go down to training with Peeta. Katniss offered to escort you down, but you told her that you would prefer to go with Effie. She nodded and turned to Peeta, asking if he wanted her to go down with him.

"Sure," he said. He took a step towards her as Haymitch was rounding the corner, fastening a loose button at the top of his shirt. He looked up and his eyes narrowed in on Peeta. He swiftly stepped forward and closed a hand around his upper arm, causing him to stop and look back at him.

"I will be escorting him down to training," he said firmly, and Katniss turned a little red.

"Okay," she said. Haymitch began to pull Peeta towards the elevator, thrusting him forward slightly and letting go of his arm.

"Walk," He demanded and Peeta obeyed him. He made his way to the silver doors and stopped in front of them as Haymitch reached behind him to press the down button. As they waited for the doors to open, Effie began to speak.

"Shall we be on our way as well then?" she asked and you looked at her, avoiding Peeta's gaze from across the room. You nodded.

"Yes, let's go." You took a separate elevator down to the training room then Peeta, wanting nothing to do with him today. The elevators were close to each other though, separated only by a thin wall, and you could hear Haymitch yelling on the other side. It made your stomach churn slightly, but you averted your thoughts to the training room and what was going to be inside. Weapons. The ones that you all were going to have to use to kill each other. It made you feel sick to have the thought in your mind.

"Here we are," Effie said as the doors opened, and she touched your elbow lightly, prompting you forward. You stepped out of the elevator and jumped when you saw Peeta right beside you. You wondered if Haymitch and Effie were trying to keep the two of you in sync. You walked a little faster than him.

"Hold on," Haymitch said from behind and you turned, thinking for a moment that he was talking to you. But he was walking towards Peeta with a smug expression. You began to walk again, but slower. You weren't eager to get to training. "You remember that little threat I made you yesterday?" you heard Haymitch say and there was a pause.

"Yes," Peeta answered.

"I meant it." You heard a bang and turned to see Peeta with his back against the wall and Haymitch back in the elevator, the doors closing in front of him. Effie had already gone back up as soon as you left. Peeta looked at you and your stomach lurched; you turned away quickly and continued the rest of the walk to the training room alone.

When you got there, you were one of only 6 Tributes who had shown up. This made you feel a little better, knowing that all 24 had to arrive in order to begin. Peeta appearing beside you would make 7. You sidestepped away from him and busied yourself with making sure your laces were tied tightly as he sighed and walked away. You glanced over your shoulder at him as he made his way to the back of the room, observing the camoflauge station but not touching anything. He began to speak to the man standing behind the table, but you couldn't hear what they were saying. You didn't really care anyways.

"What is his name?" someone asked behind you and you jumped, turning quickly and standing up straight. The 12 year old girl you saw from the Tribute parade was standing in front of you. She was so small compared to you. She looked scared.

"What?" you said, catching your breath from having been startled.

"What is his name?" she asked again. You raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Who's name?" She turned and pointed at Peeta across the room. Your heart sunk in your chest. You didn't want to talk about him.

"Peeta," you said dully, turning from her and walking to the bow and arrow station. You imagined picking one of these up and putting it through Katniss's chest. A morbid thought, but one that made you smile until the little girl followed you and stopped by your side. You looked down at her. "Why are you following me?"

"I can tell you're having a bad day," she said kindly and the frustration suddenly flowed out of you. You crouched down before her. "And you seemed angry with him." You breathed in and out slowly, thinking of what to say to that, but you decided just to change the subject instead.

"What District are you from?" you asked.

"Eight." Your mind went back to last year's Games, when 12-year-old Rue was chosen from District 8 and killed. You wondered if the reaping ball for that District was rigged. Or Maybe there was just a lot of 12 year olds to choose from. You sighed.

"I'm sorry," you said and an instructor promptly cleared her throat, staring daggers at you. You apologized, standing up. She nodded and walked away from you. You looked back at the girl. "What is your name?"

"Lacy."

"I'm Jacklyn."

"Your name is pretty." You thanked her.

"Not as pretty as yours though." She grinned, flashing a gorgeous smile, and your heart couldn't help but melt for her. She looked back at Peeta.

"Why are you mad at him?" she asked and you sighed, looking at him and then just as quickly away when you noticed that he was looking at you too. You shook your head.

"I'm not. We just don't want to get to close. You know." She nodded.

"I know." As the two of you stood there in silence, the rest of the Tributes filed into the room and your heart sunk. You didn't want to train. You didn't want to go into the arena. You didn't want to be part of the Games.

"Everybody line up!" yelled the instructor and your insides squirmed, but you took your place in line beside Lacy and another Tribute from District 2. You only knew she was from 2 because of the fire in her eyes and the determination that was radiating off of her. She could only be a Career Tribute. The instructor stood in front of you all. "Welcome. In 3 weeks time, 23 of you are going to be dead. There will be _one _Victor this year." You hated how she emphasized the word 'one'. "Everything you need to survive is in this room, it is just a matter of whether or not you can _use_ it." Everybody was silent. You hated silence. You wanted to scream. "You have 2 hours to familiarize yourself with the weapons. Starting now."

Everyone scattered. You watched Lacy dart to the knot tying station and Peeta made his way back to the camoflauge. You stood like an idiot in the middle of the room while the instructor glared at you again, and you walked over to the bows and grabbed one. You took an arrow as well, placing it on the string and drawing it back. You aimed for the target in front of you and released, surprised to see that you had hit just the outside of the bullseye.

"Nice shot," someone said behind you and you whipped around, another arrow in hand. A boy from District 3 was standing before you. You remembered him from his chariot. He was one of the better looking Tributes. Besides Peeta. He raised his hands in defense, his eyebrows raised. "Woah," he said, "I was just complimenting you."

"Why?" you snapped, turning around and shooting another arrow just above the one you had shot before. He stood beside you, picking up the other bow.

"Because that was a good shot. Can't I just be nice?" he asked. You looked up at him and shook your head, setting down your bow and walking away. It disgusted you that he thought he could just "be nice". You can't just be nice to someone that you're ultimately going to have to kill. You're not supposed to make friends during the Hunger Games. Because eventually, your friend is going to die. Then what? You began to walk towards the knot tying, and then remembered your last thought about not making friends. You sighed and turned away, heading towards the rope net that was hanging from the ceiling for Tributes to climb.

You positioned your hands on the rope, pulling yourself up onto the net and you began your ascent to the top. As you climbed, the net swayed back and forth from your movement, and even flipped over once. You gasped and threw your arm through a hole, grabbing hold of a length of rope a bit farther down and steadied yourself. You began to swing your body back and forth, trying to flip the net back over but instead you just decided to climb around it. When you got back on the other side again, you noticed a few of the Career Tributes avert their gaze back to what they were doing. They had been watching to see if you would fall. You were glad that they saw you pick yourself back up.

You continued to climb as fast as you could, thinking about where in the Games you would actually use this climbing skill. Trees, most likely. You would spend a lot of times in trees. You did when you were home anyways, it was the one place no one bothered to look when you had gone missing. You skipped out on a lot of chores this way.

"Keep going," you heard someone say below you as you slowed down and you looked to see the instructor peering up at you through the holes in the net. She had a timer in her hand and was giving you a thumbs up. You smiled slightly and began to climb again, faster than you had been before. The net barely swayed as you went, and you made it to the top within the minute. When you were holding onto the last length of rope, the instructor beamed at you.

"5 minutes, 18 seconds," she said. You grinned down at her, feeling accomplished. "Fine work, Miss Richards." She walked away and you breathed out slowly, lifting your foot to begin your descent but it got stuck inside the net and suddenly you were upside down again. But this time you weren't able to steady yourself and you fell the 25 feet to the floor, landing hard on your back. It wasn't until you heard the snickering that you realized the other Tributes had been watching you climb. You shut your eyes against the pain and embarrassment. Footsteps came towards you and stopped by your head. You didn't look to see who was there.

"Are you all right?" the person asked and you recognized the voice right away as Peeta. You opened your eyes slowly and looked up at him. He seemed genuinely concerned. You shut your eyes again and he crouched down beside you. "Hey," he said, touching your shoulder.

"Mr Mellark," the instructor snapped. "No touching the other Tributes." He looked at her and nodded.

"Yes ma'am," he said, "sorry."

"Please return to your station." He sighed and stood up, looking down at you sadly. You opened your eyes again and the rolled onto your side slowly, groaning in pain. You were sure your back was broken. But you could move, so it wasn't.

"Are you all right?" he asked again quietly. You pushed yourself onto your knees and pressed a hand to your back with a painful sigh.

"Yeah, Peeta," you said, annoyed, "I'm fine." He nodded and looked away from you, turned and headed back to his station. You felt bad for snapping at him, but you just fell 25 feet. No, you weren't all right.

You pulled yourself to your feet with the help of the net, and looked around. Nobody was staring at you anymore. Except for Lacy: she was watching you like a Hawk. You felt odd with her looking at you that way, and you brushed your pants off before heading to to the knives. All you could think about was Peeta as you examined them, choosing the one you thought was the sharpest. Since day 1 all you had wanted was him, but he kept going back to Katniss. You understood it was to preserve both of their lives, but you were taught that in life you had to give and take. You were given this chance to work so closely with Peeta, and you had to take him while you could.

_I f*cking hate you, Katniss,_ you thought and, pretending that the dummy in front of you was her, you threw a knife straight at it and hit it square in the chest. The room was silent. You looked around to find yourself the center of attention again.

"She's probably not too fond of you either," said the boy from District 3 who tried to talk to you earlier. Your eyes shot to Peeta at the very back of the room, who looked hurt. You didn't realize you had said the words out loud. You looked back at the dummy and a sudden rage flooded your veins. You began to scream, loud.

"Ms Richards!" you heard the instructor shout but you didn't listen to her. You covered your ears with your hands and continued to scream. You squeezed your eyes shut as you felt hands on your shoulders, shaking you and someone was yelling something but you didn't hear. About 30 seconds passed of you screaming, when you felt a couple more pairs of hands grab you and force you to the floor. Your arm was pinned down and you felt a sharp point penetrate into the crook of it. You gasped and began to struggle, but more hands held you and you began to scream again.

"Help me!" you called out but no one came. You suddenly felt dizzy and you tried to scream, but nothing came out. You felt dazed and confused. Oddly relaxed. You started to slip in and out of consciousness as you became aware of 23 pairs of eyes on you. You looked towards Peeta who had walked to the front of the room. Your eyes rolled into the back of your head and you shut them.

"Carry on, Tributes," said the instructor as you felt your body lifted into the arms of a peace keeper, and you were carried from the room in your sedated state.

So much for making a good first impression.

End of chapter 6


	7. Chapter 7

Training Day 2

You woke up in your bed. You were surprised not to be in the hospital, but thankful as well. You hated doctors. Your door opened and Effie appeared.

"Dear?" she said. "Are you awake?" You said nothing, thinking her stupid for assuming otherwise when your eyes were wide open. "Haymitch would like to see you." Again, you said nothing. She sighed and closed your door. When it opened again, Haymitch walked in.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" he asked, but there was sarcasm in his tone. You stared at the ceiling as he sat beside your bed. "Hmm? You going to talk or not?" You ignored him, focusing in on a spot on the ceiling that looked suspiciously like a blood stain to you. But you weren't sure how it would have gotten all the way up there, so you decided to disregard. Haymitch reached forward and grabbed your arm, digging his thumb nail into the space on your arm where you had gotten multiple injections. You gasped and tore your arm away, staring at him in disgust. "Can you hear me now?" he said and your heart began to pound out of hatred. He cracked a grin.

"Its not funny," you growled, rubbing your injection site gently.

"I'm not laughing," he said.

"You're smiling."

"And since when has that been considered a bad thing?" You looked away and towards the back wall. He scooted his chair closer. "We all know what happened down in the training room." You looked at him. "Your little screaming fit that you pulled." Your heart sank. You were so embarrassed. You turned your head to hide the red tint in your cheeks. Haymitch patted your hand. "Good going, sweetheart." Your eyes shot to him.

"What?" you said. He smiled.

"Good going." You raised an eyebrow in confusion and he shifted in the chair, getting more comfortable. "Well, since our good friend Peeta made you look _so_ powerful during the parade, luck really hasn't been on your side. The Career Tributes always go after the strong first. We didn't tell you about the costume change because we wanted the other Tributes to see you get startled and cling to Peeta. But he had to go and ruin that plan for us." The past couple days of Peeta being yelled at started to come together and make sense.

"That's what you're so mad at him about?" you asked.

"We're trying to save the both of you," he explained. "We're not letting just one Tribute come out alive." You wanted to smile but you didn't. Thinking about your intimate death made you feel nauseous. You lurched forward a bit. "Are you going to be sick?" he asked. You shook your head.

"No."

"Last time you said that, you were." You glared at him. "Okay, okay, sorry." You sighed and looked away again. "Are you ready to come have some dinner?" he asked. You met his gaze.

"Is it still Tuesday?" you asked. He laughed.

"Yes. You've only been unconscious for a good part of today." You felt relief flood through you. And then you began to wonder if you had never woken up, would they have found a way to wake you up so that you could participate in the Games? The Capitol was sick enough, they probably would.

"Yeah," you said, moving the blankets off your legs and swinging them over the edge. Haymitch placed a hand on the small of your back. You shrugged him off. "I don't need help," you said and he nodded.

"Right," he said, "the girl who falls 25 feet and goes into a fit of screaming doesn't need help." Your faced burned red at the thought and he opened the door for you. You stomped past him and into the dining room, noticing Peeta and Katniss sitting at the table. They both looked over. At the sight of you, Peeta shot up from his chair and walked around the table to you. He put his hands on your arms and then pulled you into a hug. Electricity shot through you at his embrace, but you didn't hug him back. He held you closer. You put one hand up onto his back. You still weren't in the mood to associate with him.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, pulling away and holding you at arm's length. You stared at him but didn't say anything. You looked over at Katniss who had her eyes glued to the two of you. But it didn't seem to be out of jealousy for Peeta's hands being on you, it seemed to be out of concern. You wondered if she had heard about what you said in the training room. You just prayed that she hadn't and averted her gaze. Peeta moved a strand of hair from your eyes.

"I'm not your f*cking daughter," you blurted out, shoving his hand off of you. "I don't need your sympathy." He looked shocked, but kept his other hand on your arm. You glared at him angrily and turned from him, throwing yourself into a chair at the table and grabbing a piece of bread. You shoved it into your mouth angrily and began to chew, careful to avoid everyone's gaze at all costs. Haymitch sat beside you. He took a piece of bread.

"How did you training go?" Haymitch asked Peeta coldly. There was silence for a moment before he answered.

"Fine, I guess."

"Did you stay at the camoflauge station the whole time, like I told you not to do?" Silence again.

"Yeah," Peeta said. Haymitch set down his bread.

"Are you ever going to listen to me, boy? What do I have to do to get you to listen to me?" Peeta said nothing. "Looks like me and you need to have another one of our talks."

"I hardly call yelling at me a talk." Haymitch slapped his hand on the table.

"I'm trying to _help_ you!" he shouted and I jumped, not expecting it to be right in my ear. Katniss stood up.

"Okay, okay," she said, "that is enough!" I looked up at her, disgusted. "Jacklyn, _stop_ looking at me like that." I didn't. She sighed and looked at Haymitch, "enough with the yelling already," she said, "this is a delicate situation. You remember how it was going into the Games. You don't raise your voice at the Tributes."

"He needs to be yelled at," Haymitch argued. "But I'm not gonna sit here and discuss why with a seventeen year old." He stood up, knocking his plate aside and sending it crashing at your feet. The pieces flew in each direction, some catching you on the leg and scratching it up a bit. You looked up at the other two across the table. Neither were looking at you. Peeta was staring at his dinner and Katniss was glaring across the room at Haymitch, her arm around Peeta's shoulders. You stared at her. She looked at you.

"Why do you keep glaring at me?" she asked, letting go of Peeta. You said nothing, just got up from your chair and went back to your room. You locked your door, stuck in a pair of head phones and laid in your bed, staring at the ceiling as you had been doing when you woke up. Nobody came to your door and you were thankful. You shut your eyes and drifted off to sleep.

When you woke up again, it was morning. Effie was knocking on your door and telling you to get ready for your second day of training. You groaned and looked at your alarm clock: 8am. You supposed you would be skipping breakfast.

You got up and dressed in your Tribute attire: gray wind pants, a dark blue shirt, and a gray and blue wind breaker jacket. You stared at yourself in the mirror, disgusted with the way you looked. You threw your hair in a pony tail and walked out of your room to see Haymitch with a hand on Peeta's shoulder, pinning him to the wall in the hallway. He was leaned in very close to him, and was muttering something quietly in his face. His face was red with anger again. Peeta looked exhausted.

"Leave him alone," you said and Haymitch stopped talking to look over at you.

"Excuse me, sweethe-"

"Leave him alone," you repeated, zipping your wind breaker. "We have enough sh*t to deal with." Haymitch said nothing as him and Peeta stared at you, bewildered. Haymitch removed his hand from Peeta's shoulder and leaned back, still staring at you. "What?" you said. He said nothing, just turned to look at Peeta and said, "dead serious" before walking off. You rolled your eyes and walked past him, heading towards the elevators.

"Jacklyn," Peeta said quietly as you pressed the down button. You didn't want to be escorted today. You didn't even care if Peeta went in the same elevator as you. You didn't turn to face him.

"What?" you said. The elevator doors opened and you stepped inside. He followed you and the doors shut, trapping you inside together. You looked at him. "What?" you repeated. He shook his head and looked ahead. When you were downstairs, you were upset to find you were the last 2 Tributes to arrive.

"Feeling better?" the instructor asked. You simply nodded, taking your place in line. Same speech as yesterday. You all went to your stations. As you were tying a knot beside a boy from District 11, Peeta walked to you and took the rope from your hands. You looked up at him in surprise. He looked upset.

"What's the ma-"

"Did I do something to you?" he asked, and your heart sank. No, you wanted to say. But instead you said nothing. "Can you please just tell me, because you've been avoiding me for 2 days." Your heart began to pound and you swallowed. You sighed.

"No," you whispered, looking down at your hands.

"Huh?" he said.

"No," you repeated, "you didn't do anything." He looked unconvinced. "Look, you didn't do anything, I'm just upset about being a Tribute." He put a hand on your shoulder.

"I know. Me too." He looked at the knot you had been tying and set it down. "Do you want me to show you some camoflauge?" He looked so pathetic, you couldn't help but smile. You nodded.

"Sure." He led you over to his station and you stood beside him as he picked up a paintbrush. He pointed to a green and yellow piece of wood laying across the room.

"I can make your arm look just like that," he said. You grinned.

"Show me," you said. He laughed and dipped his paint brush in the paint. He held out his hand.

"Give me your arm." You held it out and he grabbed onto your wrist gently. It felt good to have him touch you again. You had missed it for the past couple of days. He slowly touched the tip of the brush down on your arm and dragged it downwards, sending a shock up your arm that caused you to jump and rip your arm away from him. He looked surprised at first and then he grinned. "Ticklish, huh?" he said. You blushed. "It's all right," he said, holding his hand back out, "me too."

"I can't," you said, laughing slightly and hiding your arm behind your back. Peeta laughed, too, reaching for it. You moved backwards away from him, a silly smile on your face. He stared at you.

"I'm really glad you're talking to me again," he said. You were caught off guard by his comment and he reached forward, grabbing your wrist and pulling your arm back to him. He dipped the brush back in my paint and began to draw lines on your arm again. You giggled and pulled it back but he held on tighter.

"Peeta, please stop," you said, conscious of a few eyes being on you. "Peeta."

"Stay still," he said, continuing to paint. You giggled some more and he smiled, staring at your arm intently.

"I don't like it," you said and he pulled the brush away, wiggling it around in some water. He looked at you.

"Me neither," he said, "being ticklish is worse that being in pain." You noticed a few people begin to talk amongst themselves as he said this, but you didn't think anything of it. "But if you want to survive, you'll work through it, won't you?" he said, You smiled at him. As he began to paint again, your arm twitched but you let him continue with his work.

"So what was Haymitch's threat?" you asked.

"Huh?" he said.

"I heard him tell you that he meant it when he threatened you yesterday."

"Oh," Peeta said, laughing slightly, "if I compromised their work again, he was gonna hold me under a cold shower for 10 minutes." You stared at him.

"That's a little harsh." He shrugged.

"Nothing different than what we had in the Seam." That was true. But he had been in the Victor's Village for a year. Surely he had gotten used to the warm water by now.

"I didn't mean what I said about Katniss yesterday," you said and you sensed his whole body tense, but his expression didn't change. He continued to paint.

"I know you didn't," he said, dipping the brush back into the brown. He moved back to your arm.

"I don't know why I said it." He still didn't look at you when he once again said, "I know." You sighed and let him finish up, barely able to hold still as he painted near your wrist. You laughed really hard when he got to that part of your arm and he looked at you, smiling wide. When he finished, he set the brush down and pulled you over to the piece of wood lying on the floor. He pressed your arm against it, and you watched it disappear. It was amazing. You blended in completely.

"Wow," was all you said as you stared at what he had done. "Wow." He grinned. It took a moment for you to realize that his face was only inches from yours. You thought he was going to kiss you, but he didn't. You felt stupid for even entertaining the thought. You blushed. And then you realized that the two of you were alone. "Oh, we should get out of here," you said. He let go of your wrist.

"Probably. But I had to finish my design." You smiled, looking at your arm. You wanted to wash it off, but you decided to wait until you were back in your room. You needed to shower anyways. "Come on." He put an arm around your waist and the two of you walked back up to the dining room together. Katniss stared at the two of you and Haymitch glanced at your arm when you both approached the table.

"Been doing some more painting, I see," he said, standing up to glare at Peeta. "Come with me." He grabbed Peeta's arm.

"Haymitch," you began and he turned on you so quickly you had to grab a chair to keep from falling over. You kept your mouth shut now as he turned, dragging Peeta along with him and forcing him into another room. Immediately, Peeta's body slammed against the door and Katniss jumped to her feet, walking to the door. Of course, she _had_ to go to the rescue. A sudden impulse ran through you and you moved forward quickly, walking around the table and grabbing her shoulder from behind. You whipped her around and brought your arm back, driving your fist forward into her face. She screamed and fell backwards, and you jumped onto her waist and continued to punch her over and over until she passed out.

At least you think she passed out.

The last thing you remembered was two pairs of hands grabbing your arms and yanking you back, a needle jabbing into your arm, your scream piercing the air and everything going hazy. But even through the haze, you could still make out a thought that was pounding through your skull.

You had just knocked out the girl on fire.

End of Chapter 7


	8. Chapter 8

When you woke up again, you were surprised to find that they had once again placed you in your bed. Your body ached and there was something cold and metal fastened around your wrist. You turned your head to the left and noticed you were handcuffed to your bed. Your heart fluttered anxiously in your chest, and you quickly turned your head towards the door.

"Hello?" you called out and within seconds, your door opened. You jumped slightly when Effie half-ran inside, stopping beside your bed and pressing her palm to your forehead.

"How are you feeling, dear?" she asked and you were taken aback by her genuine concern.

"Uh," you said, "fine?" She smiled as she let out a noise of relief.

"Thank goodness. We were all so worried about you!" You said nothing for a moment.

"Why?" you asked, sitting up and causing the handcuff to clank against the metal bed frame. "Can I be let out of this?"

"Oh, of course!" she said, reaching into her pocket and searching for the key, but coming up short. She checked her other pocket and then felt the one in the breast of her shirt. She furrowed her brow in confusion. "I don't have it," she said, "I could have sworn I did! Haymitch must have it. I'll go get him."

"Wait-" you began, having not been told why she was worried, and not wanting to deal with Haymitch's anger. You'd seen the way he had yelled at Peeta all week, you didn't want the same to happen to you. She looked at you, waiting for you to finish, but you were too lost in thought to so he turned and quickly left the room, sending Haymitch in to take her place.

"Good morning," he said unpleasantly, walking to your bed and holding up a key. "Looking for this?" You looked at it and then back at him angrily as he dropped it into the glass of water beside your bed. He sat down in the chair beside you and leaned forward, resting his arms on his legs. You glared at him and he sat back up straight, crossing his arms across his chest. He cleared his throat. "Do you want to tell me exactly what happened yesterday?" he said. Your heart stopped.

"Yesterday?" you said and he nodded with a smirk.

"Yeah, yesterday, sweetheart." You couldn't believe you had been asleep for that long. They must have put you under with something. You began to chew on the inside of your cheek nervously. "What's the matter?" he asked and you looked up at him. You shook your head.

"Nothing." He scooted the chair closer.

"Nothing, huh?" he said, staring at you. You glared back at him and then avoided his gaze by focusing yours on the wall in front of you. "You're not nervous that today is the last day? That you missed your training and have to go straight to your interview when we release you?" Your head snapped back towards him.

"You said good morning," you said quickly, "what time is it?"

"it's 5pm, sweetheart."

"Then why did you say 'good morning'?!" you shouted. You heard feet shuffle in the hallway but you payed it no attention. "Huh?!"

"Because you just woke up. It seemed appropriate." Tears sprung into your eyes and you turned away from him, letting them fall freely from your eyes. Haymitch leaned forward.

"Suck it up, sweetheart," he said, "Tributes aren't allowed to cry." You turned towards him quickly, wanting to punch him, but you couldn't because you were handcuffed to the bed. He grinned and let out a laugh.

"Wanted to do me in like Katniss, huh?" he said. You said nothing, you just sat there fuming with your hands clenched tightly into fists. Someone appeared at the door.

"That's enough, Haymitch," Peeta said, and your eyes flew over to him and then away just as quickly as your cheeks began to burn. You turned away and swallowed as the air grew tense between Haymitch and Peeta. There was silence for a moment before Haymitch left the room, bumping shoulders with your fellow tribute on the way out. You heard him walk over and sit in the chair beside you, but you still didn't look over. There was silence between the both of you until he reached into the glass of water and grabbed the key, leaned over you and unlocked your handcuff. Your heart began to race as his body stretched across yours, even though you were trying so hard not to care. He pushed himself back and sat down in the chair again. He sighed.

"Why?" he finally said and you looked over at him. You said nothing. "Huh?" You shook your head.

"I don't want to talk about it." Peeta stood up quickly and walked to the door. You were scared he was going to leave, and you desperately wanted to tell him to stay, but he instead shut the door. He walked back to his chair and sat down.

"It's going to stay between us," he promised. You rubbed your wrist where the handcuff had dug into your skin. He reached forward and grabbed your hand, bringing it towards him. He began to rub your wrist with his thumb and you were surprised at how the simplicity of his motions were making the ache go away. You stared at his hands and then swallowed, looking back up at him.

"I really don't want to talk about it," you said quietly, pulling your hand back a little but he held on tighter. Neither of you said anything for a moment, and then he let go. You began to rub your wrist again. He scratched at a spot on top of his head and you realized his hair was wet. Anger shot through you as you remembered the threat Haymitch made if Peeta compromised their plan again. You threw your legs over the side of the bed and stood up.

"Your hair is wet," you said. He stood up as well, looking down slightly at you. He was a couple inches taller.

"I was taking a shower," he said, "for the interviews tonight." It made sense in your head, but you didn't believe it in your heart.

"No, Haymitch stuck you under that cold water." He put a hand on your shoulder.

"Jacklyn," he said, trying to sit you back down on the bed, but you didn't budge. "I promise, I was taking a shower. Trust me." You didn't trust him, but you had no energy to argue. You stared up at him worriedly, and then let yourself collapse back onto the bed. He sat back down as well as you threw yourself onto your back, spreading your arms out and staring at the ceiling.

"I'm not going to the interviews," you said. Peeta was silent. You looked at him. He looked confused.

"What?" he said.

"I'm not going." He raised an eyebrow.

"No one can get out of the interviews."

"How do they make you, though?!" you asked hysterically, "they can't make you talk. They can't make you walk out there. They can't make you do anything." Peeta looked sympathetic but he smiled. "Why are you smiling?"

"You just remind me of Katniss, is all." Your heart fluttered slightly in your chest as he said this, and then it turned cold when you realized whose name he had used. You turned away from him angrily and he sat on your bed in front of you. "Hey." You tried to keep looking away but he started to move up and down, making you bounce. You smiled slightly and turned to him, grinning at the goofy look on his face and then letting out a laugh. He smiled.

"Stop being nice," you said, "I don't deserve it." He shook his head.

"What?" You didn't answer. "Of course you deserve it." You looked at him. "Katniss isn't mad at you," he said, "she understands the stress you're under." Your cheeks flushed red. You looked away.

"I'm sorry," you whispered.

"Why are you sorry?" he asked. You swallowed, sitting up. You played with the end of your hair as he stared at you and then you threw your hands up in frustration, slapping them down on your legs.

"I don't know," you said, "I just am. I mean, Haymitch has been being a jerk since you tried to help me. And I feel like I'm supposed to be helping protect you, but Katniss keeps coming to your rescue! But she won't be the one there during the Games. I don't know, I just snapped." You looked up at him. He was smiling.

"Don't you worry about me," he said, "we need to worry about getting you out of that arena. I've done this before."

"Not with me. I'm a jinx." He placed a hand on your upper arm.

"You are not a jinx. I don't want to hear any more of that, you hear me?" You prayed he didn't see your cheeks turn pink. You half-smiled.

"Yes," you said, "sorry."

"And stop saying sorry!" he said, standing up, "you remember how you couldn't sit still when I was painting your arm?" he said. You nodded. "I remember that," he teased and your insides squirmed, imagining Peeta's fingers touching your body. You almost wouldn't mind it if you didn't hate being tickled so much. You laughed.

"Okay, okay," you said as he looked at his watch. "Sorry." His eyes snapped back up to you and he grinned, running at you and jumping onto the bed. You screamed and threw yourself back against the wall, drawing your legs back to your chest and hugging them tightly, trying to cover yourself.

"Oh no," Peeta said, grabbing your wrists and trying to pry your hands away from your legs. You let out another scream and held on tightly, laughing as he continued to pull.

"Peeta, no!" you begged as he managed to pull your hands apart. You quickly grasped them back together and he began to pry again. "Please!"

"Then what are you not going to say from now on?!" he said, continuing to pull at your wrists as you resisted with all your strength.

"I'm sorry!" you said, burying your face into your knees.

"Huh?!" he said, "I can't hear you!"

"I'm not gonna say sorry!" you laughed, lifting your head and looking at him. He stopped his attack and got up off the bed as you sat limply against the wall, breathing heavily. He grinned down at you.

"Good," he said. You smiled and he held out his hand. "Come on, dinner is probably ready. And you're gonna want to get ready for the interviews." All the good feelings that had grown inside you suddenly went away at the mention of the interviews. Your heart grew heavy and you frowned. He took your hand and pulled you up. "They are not as bad as you think. You just have to be yourself."

"I don't know who that is," you admitted. He opened the door for you. When you walked out, he pressed his hand to the small of your back and led you down the hallway.

"Don't say that," he said authoritatively. A chill went up your spine at his tone. You apologized. He pushed you into the wall playfully. You laughed.

"Hey!" you said, pressing a handing to his upper arm and pushing him into the wall behind him. He laughed, hitting it hard and you threw a hand over your mouth. You didn't expect him to hit it that hard.

"That hurt," he said, sticking his bottom lip out in a pout.

"Oh, put your lip away," you said, "you look like a baby!"

"Maybe I am a baby." He raised an eyebrow in cockiness. You smirked.

"You're one ugly baby." His mouth fell open in mock shock and you giggled, running the rest of the way down the hallway. He followed you close behind, grabbed you around the waist with one arm and flung you behind him. He blocked your path and didn't let you pass. You laughed. "Peeta, let me go!"

"No, take it back!" You tried to duck under his arm but he grabbed you around the middle and threw you up over his shoulder. You screamed.

"Peeta, put me down!" you yelled, pounding on his back. "_Peeta_!" you shrieked as he began to walk back towards your room.

"Take it back!" he warned.

"Okay!" you said, laughing and pinching him. It didn't seem to phase him. "Okay, I take it back!" You were scared your little games were going to make you late for your interview. And more importantly, the only Game that seemed to matter here.

"Take what back?" he said.

"You're a very handsome baby!" you said through your laughter and as he set you down, a voice behind you both said, "do you two need a minute?"

You gasped, turning around and stepping away from Peeta as if it was some crime that you two were caught together. Haymitch was staring at you as Cinna stepped around him, walking over. He took your hand gently.

"I hate to interrupt," he said, "but we need to get you ready."

"But I'm hungry," you said. Cinna smiled.

"I have something prepared for you in the dressing room." You looked at Peeta who gave you an encouraging smile. Katniss appeared behind Cinna. You both made eye contact and you quickly looked away, ashamed. She had a large blue welt beneath her left eye. Cinna squeezed your hand. "Come on."

"We'll see you soon," Peeta said as you walked off. You nodded, looking back at him, but avoiding eye contact with Katniss. As you walked down the hall with Cinna, your heart pounded miserably in your chest.

"What am I going to be wearing?"

"You will just have to wait and see," he said with a smile, letting go of your hand and leading you to your room as Peeta had done before in the hallway, with his hand on your back. He was leading you into the room that Haymitch had yelled at Peeta in twice before. Cinna reached in front of you hand turned the handle, opening the door for you. As you were going to walk inside, someone's hand brushed your left one and grabbed it, holding you back. You looked up in surprise and noticed Katniss there, smiling at you slightly. Her hand was closed tightly around yours.

"For good luck," she said, nodding curtly. You wanted to smile back, but you couldn't. Your face remained emotionless as she let go of your hand. All you said was, "Thank you." She smiled again and put a hand to your shoulder, pulling you close and hugging you.

"It's going to be okay," she said, "don't try and be someone you're not." she pulled away at Cinna's cue and you found it in yourself to force a small smile. You nodded in return.

"Okay," you whispered and with one last glance towards Peeta, who was walking towards his own dressing room with Portia, you walked into the room and Cinna shut the door behind you both. He went to busy himself with a dress bag hanging in the corner, and that's when you realized you were holding something in your hand. You looked down in confusion, unwrapping your fingers and gasped at what you were holding.

It was the Mockingjay pin.

End of Chapter 8


	9. Chapter 9

The interviews

You cringed at the sight of yourself in the mirror, when your prep team finished with your make up and Cinna finished helping you into your outfit. It was so beautiful that it was hideous. You just wanted to rip it off and tear it to shreds. But at the same time, you wanted the world to see you in it and you were excited to show it off.

"It's a little flashy," you said as Cinna stood behind you, his hands on your shoulders, "don't you think?" He smiled. He flicked the end of one of your curls and it bounced off your shoulder lightly. You smiled at the beauty of it. You did look stunning.

"It's very flashy," he said. "Don't you want to stand out?" You smiled and nodded, admiring the length of you. You began to wonder what Peeta would think. It was a red dress. Silver jewels. Floor length and form-fitting. You couldn't go wrong with this. But there seemed something wrong with it, and you had to question it.

"I thought you were trying to make me look weak?" you asked, looking at Cinna. "Shouldn't I be wearing a pink dress and bows?" Cinna grinned.

"Well, that was our plan from the beginning," he said, "but our good friend Peeta spoiled that for us. He is determined to make you look like the strong young woman that you are. He doesn't like it when we try to change a Tribute."

"He changed last year," you said lowly, turning back to the mirror, "falling 'in love' with that Katniss girl." Cinna put a hand on your shoulder again. You met his gaze. He was smiling.

"Another reason I chose this outfit." Your heart lifted inside your chest and you looked back towards the mirror, satisfied with Cinna's reply. There was no way that Peeta could look the other way with you in this dress. He was going to have to pay you all sorts of attention. Maybe he would profess his love for you on stage tonight, too.

"Maybe I'm being unfair," you said after a short pause, lost in your own selfish thoughts. "Maybe I should let Katniss have him." Cinna appeared by your side in a second.

"I love Katniss dearly," he said and your heart shriveled inside your chest, "but I don't support fake love." He half smiled, but you just stared at his reflection in the mirror blankly. "Peeta deserves someone who truly loves him. Not someone who loves him to survive." Thousands of butterflies hatched in your stomach. You smiled.

"You're right," you said. He patted your back.

"Are you ready?" he asked. The butterflies dropped dead. You shook your head.

"No," you whispered. Cinna tilted his head disappointedly.

"What happened to the can-do girl from before?" he asked. You shook your head again and shrugged. He put a hand to your back. "Come on." He led you to the room where you all had to line up and wait your turn to be called on stage. All the Tributes were there, including Peeta, who was standing on the opposite side of the room and looking around anxiously. You bit the inside of your cheek, thinking maybe it was you he was looking for. You smiled up at Cinna and he nodded approvingly. You stepped away from him and began to walk towards Peeta, a million thoughts running through your mind.

As you walked, all eyes were on you. Your cherry red lips, eyelashes so long that they made shadows dance across your cheeks, and your hair hanging elegantly in curls over your shoulders. You walked with a purpose, your arms barely swinging at your sides as you continued towards him, half-smiling. He looked towards you. Your heart shot into your throat. He stepped towards you. You reached out. But before you could make contact with him, it was Katniss's hand that was in his instead of yours and it was her that he sweeping into his arms instead of you. You stopped dead in your tracks. All the Tributes looked away.

"I'm coming out there with you," she was saying. Your stomach dropped.

"I know," Peeta said and tightened his arm around her with a smile. You felt like throwing up. Katniss must have been walking behind you as you approached Peeta. You swallowed as she put a hand on his chest and both their eyes shot to the TV screen where the Tributes from District 1 were beginning to be introduced. You stared at Katniss. She was wearing a light blue, soft cotton dress with a bow around her middle. They were making her look so innocent. She was not innocent.

"Cinna," you called out, whipping around to see if he was still there. He wasn't. You wondered if he knew what was going on. A Peace Keeper appeared at your side. He grabbed your arm.

"Please take your place in line, Ms. Richards." You looked up at him with hate in your eyes. He looked sympathetic. You swallowed and turned, walking back towards Peeta and Katniss. You felt Peeta look at you as you passed, but you avoided his eyes and lowered your head when you were standing behind them. Peeta stepped in front of you.

"Jacklyn," he said, and you heard awe in his voice. You didn't look up. "Hey, are you all right?" he asked, putting a couple fingers under your chin and lifting your head. Disgusted, you jerked your head to the right and glared at him. He looked shocked, as did Katniss.

"Don't touch me."

"Jacklyn-"

"Don't talk to me either." Peeta furrowed his brow in confusion. He stared at you with a concerned expression for a few moments, and then Katniss put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her.

"It's no use," she whispered. "Just let her be. She's all nerves. She'll be better when it's over." anger surged inside you. You clenched your fists.

"Will I, Katniss?" you asked, looking back up. "Will I really be better?" Her and Peeta both looked back in surprise. "And better after what, may I ask? The interviews or the Games? Because you know there is only one winner, right?" She said nothing, so you finished with, "_one_." You stared daggers at her until there was a ripple in the line and she was forced to move forward a bit with Peeta. He was still holding onto her waist. You reached inside your dress and pulled out the Mockingjay pin. "I don't need your charity." You threw it at her. She gasped. A Peace Keeper held you against the wall. Peeta ushered Katniss farther down the line and away from you. You felt your eyes burn with tears, but you fought them back, not wanting to look weak. He let go of you and you stayed back, not wanting to be anywhere near them. It didn't matter anyways, since you were the last to go.

22 Tributes went through and then it was Peeta's turn. Peeta and Katniss. The cheers that erupted through the crowd was repulsive, and you had to force yourself to watch the screen.

"Peeta Mellark, ladies and gentleman!" Caesar Flickerman called out and a new round of cheers burst through the arena. "And of course, the lovely Miss Everdeen." You watched Caesar kiss her hand and Peeta quickly moved forward, grabbing her hand and wrenching it towards him and away from Caesar's lips. He had a playful grin on his face.

"That's my hand to kiss," he reminded Caesar. The crowd laughed.

"You are correct, I'm sorry Peeta!" Caesar chuckled, gesturing to the 2 seats beside him. "Please, sit!" They did. "So. Peeta. Tell me. How does it feel to be competing in this year's Games again?" Peeta sighed, looking out into the crowd.

"Well...it was a shock. But I'm feeling okay. I've done it before. I think I have an edge on the other Tributes."

"Oh do you now?" Caesar said and Peeta smiled. "You do know only one Tribute is going to be allowed out this year? No more star-crossed lovers business." Peeta nodded.

"Yes, I know. I won't be thinking about much in the arena except getting out, anyways. This can't be the last time I'm sitting with Katniss in this dress of hers. It's just too beautiful of a moment to never experience again." A chorus of "aww"s erupted into the air. You felt sick. You looked away from the screen, and just continued to listen.

"That's sweet," Caesar said. "Katniss, how are you feeling?"

"Worried of course," she said, "for the same reason he is. I can't imagine life without him in it. I've spent a lot of these past few days distancing myself as much as I can, and it's just impossible. Even in the steady 90 degrees I keep my room at, it's still cold. Nothing is right without him near me. I would cease to exist if he didn't win. But I know he will...I think he is being underestimated by all the other Tributes. I think they are forgetting that he has done this before." Now people were "ooh"ing at Katniss's words and it made you feel sick. You glanced back up at the screen and immediately wished you hadn't. Part of your lunch rushed back up into your throat at the sight of them kissing. You swallowed and clenched your teeth, determined to show no emotion.

"What about this other girl from District 12?" Caesar said as they broke apart, and the question immediately caught Peeta's attention. "We are all aware of the episodes she's been having. How do you think things will pan out for her in the arena?" Peeta was silent for a moment.

"She's delicate," he said quietly.

"Delicate?" Caesar said. Katniss stared at him. Peeta nodded.

"Yeah. Delicate. Things could go either way for her." He stopped talking. You furrowed your brow in anger. How dare he make you look weak in front of all of the Capitol and Tributes?! He was supposed to be helping you look strong! He just made you meat for the other Tributes. And then you remembered what you had been told at the beginning of training.

"Jacklyn!" someone hissed to the left of you and you looked over. Haymitch was running straight at you. He was not authorized in this area so you looked surprised, looking around to make sure no one was looking.

"What are you doing?!" you said.

"Shut up," he snapped, "let me talk." You glared at him but said nothing. "Peeta is making you look weak out there because Tributes go after the weak ones last." This is what you had remembered being told. You stared at him. "You need to stop showing how strong you are. It's the only way we can ensure getting you both out alive." You waited for him to say more. When he didn't, you began to speak.

"I don't need anyone looking out for me, especially not you and _especially_ not Peeta. You probably forced him into saying that tonight. He wants me to act strong out there. He knows what he is doing."

"If Peeta didn't want to just let the world know how weak you are, he wouldn't have!" Haymitch said and there was a hint of pleading in his voice. "He's gotten to know the competition."

"So?" you said.

"So he knows what you both are up against." This registered in your head. You said nothing. He stepped closed, putting a hand on your shoulder as a peace keeper came around the corner. "For the love of everything..._don't_ mess this up."

"Hey!" yelled the peace keeper and Haymitch threw his hands up in surrender.

"I'm going," he said, turning and walking away from you quickly. The peace keeper stopped beside you.

"Are you all right?" he asked. You said nothing. He nudged your arm with his. You looked up at him, annoyed. "I asked if you were all right." You stared at him angrily before answering.

"Yes."

"Well, it is your turn to go out." You heard cheering to your right and you looked over quickly, noticing Caesar gesturing you out onto the stage. Peeta and Katniss had already walked by you and you hadn't even noticed. You hadn't even seen how the interview had ended. With your heart beating rapidly in your chest, you walked onto the stage and were immediately greeted by another round of cheers and a beaming Caesar, extending his hand to you in kindness. You didn't take it. And you weren't going to take Haymitch's advice. You were strong. Not weak.

And you weren't going to fake it.

Caesar stared at you with a pleading smile as the crowd's cheering died away and the room fell into a deafening silence. He was still holding his hand out to you. You stared at him for a moment and then threw yourself down in the chair beside his. More silence.

"Uh," Caesar said, taking a seat beside yours and turning to face you. "Jacklyn, how are you feeling?" You said nothing. Murmuring began amongst the Capitol citizens. You ignored them and just continued to stare at Caesar. "Jacklyn? Are you feeling all right?"

"I feel fine," you snapped. He seemed taken aback by the harshness of your tone. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"How are you feeling about this year's Games? Do you think you have a chance against your fellow Tributes?" Again, you said nothing. The murmuring continued. You could feel Haymitch's anger radiating through the TV screen as you defied him in every way possible. Caesar looked out into the audience and up at President Snow. You looked up at him too. He stared silently at you. You did not look away until Caesar began to speak again. "Peeta describes you as del-"

"I'm not delicate. I'm not a flower." Peeta hadn't called you a flower in his interview, but you knew that he would have. He was always using beautiful words when he spoke. Caesar paused.

"Uh," he said, looking back at President Snow. There was a silence for at least 30 seconds. You stood up.

"Is this over then?" Caesar looked up at you, his mouth hanging open in surprise. No Tribute had ever ended an interview before it was really over.

"Uh-"

"Okay." You turned on your heel and walked off the stage, leaving behind a stunned audience and bumping shoulders with the peace keeper standing at the door. You stomped through the hallway and towards the elevators, ignoring the shocked looks of the other Tributes. You pressed the up button on the closest elevator and stood there, angrily waiting for the doors to open so you could upstairs and collapse into bed. You just wanted to be alone. You wanted everything to end. You wanted to perish before the Games even began.

How could Peeta do this to you? You were so certain that something was growing between you, that he would fall in love at the sight of you tonight, but he didn't. All you could picture in your head was him holding so tightly to Katniss and keeping her as close as he possibly could. It disgusted you to have the image burning so vividly inside your mind. You shook your head angrily, trying to run it from your head as the doors opened. You looked up, blinking rapidly and were about to step inside when someone grabbed your shoulder and whipped you around. You gasped as a hand made contact with the side of your face, hard. You stumbled backwards through the door, pressing a hand to your face. Your back hit the wall and you looked up, expecting to see Haymitch before you. But that's not who was there, looking more furious than you had ever seen him before.

It was Peeta.

And he already looked ready to murder.

End of Chapter 9


	10. Chapter 10

The Games – Day 1

You had never seen Peeta so angry before in your life. It was bad enough the way he had slapped you outside the elevator, but the way he was pacing back and forth in front of you with a bright red face and gripping at his hair was somehow worse. As soon as you had made it into your bedroom, he had thrown you on your bed and begun yelling.

"Why?!" he had shouted, a pleading tone in his voice. You said nothing. "I just...I made you look...I practically saved your life out there and you just threw it all away!" Your heart began to burn in anger.

"Me?!" you screamed and he seemed taken aback by the rage in your voice. "_You're_ the one that's been making me look so strong out there! You're the one who's turned me into this! I was just going to play their silly little Game and die like a heroine, but you had to make me look like I'm the strongest girl out there. Like I'm untouchable. This is _your_ fault." Peeta stared at you a moment and then shook his head, and that's when he began pacing. You could have sworn you saw a tear fall.

"I'm trying to get you out of the arena," he said, turning to face you and letting go of the fistful of hair he had been holding. "We can both make it out again this year."

"What if I don't want to make it out?" you asked and Peeta's face fell. All the anger seemed to leave his body and the tenseness of it disappeared as well. He swallowed.

"Why wouldn't you want to make it out?"

"Because I'm tired of watching people die. And I sure as hell don't want to watch someone I've mentored die." He furrowed his brow in confusion and then walked to the bed, sitting down on the edge of it. He reached up and moved a strand of hair from your eyes. You shuddered at his touch.

"Are you cold?" he asked kindly. You shook your head.

"No." He looked down at your hands and took one in his. Your heart began to pound in your chest. He rubbed the back of your knuckles with his thumb. You stared at him, wondering what was going through his mind.

"Somebody someday is going to be very lucky to have you," he said quietly, looking up at you. Your heart dropped. That was not what you had been expecting to hear. You felt the tears rush into your eyes and you immediately blinked them back. You turned away. He brushed his lips over your knuckles. "And someday he is going to find you...because you _are_ going to get out. Whether you want to or not." He let go of your hand and stood up. "If you need me later, come and find me. I most likely won't be sleeping." You nodded and he left the room without another word, shutting the door quietly behind him.

You didn't look for him later that night. You wanted to, but now you knew for sure he didn't want you. So you just stared at the ceiling with wide, tear-filled, fearful eyes all night. And you were still staring in this manor as the sun came through your window the next morning. Your heart nearly stopped in your chest. There was pounding at your door.

"Time to get up, dear!" came Effie's voice and you felt like throwing up. You slowly dragged yourself from bed and skipped the breakfast table, knowing that you would just bring up the remains later on. Instead, you spent the morning discussing survival tactics with Katniss who – given what you had done to her – still wanted to help you.

"Water and high grounds. First thing you find," was the final thing she was telling you. You nodded. She lowered her voice. "Since you didn't go talk to him last night, Peeta wanted me to tell you that when you're in the arena, follow his lead. He can protect you, I promise." She pulled you in for a hug but you didn't hug her back. When she let go, a door was opened to your right and a peace keeper was standing there.

"This way, Miss Richards," she said, gesturing towards the aircraft that was waiting in the background. You swallowed, looking desperately back at Katniss. She hugged you again before the peace keeper grabbed your arm and pulled you away.

"Just remember what Peeta said!" she called as the door swung shut behind you but you barely heard her as you were led towards the hovercraft that was going to bring you to Cinna. He was the last person you were going to see before you went into the arena.

"Step up," said the peace keeper and you did, walking inside the air craft and taking a seat on the opposite side of Peeta, not looking at him. Another peace keeper injected a tracking device into your arm and it burnt. But the pain of knowing Peeta was staring at you and you had no choice but to ignore him hurt worse.

The hovercraft trip did not take long. 30 minutes at the most. When you got off, you went into a private room all your own and Cinna walked in. You jumped off the table and threw your arms around him, holding on for dear life.

"I don't want to go," you cried into his chest and he rubbed your back.

"I know," he whispered, pressing his hand to the back of your head and holding you closer. You burst out into loud sobs again then sniffled, pulling away. You rubbed your eyes. You whispered an apology. He shook his head, putting a hand to the side of your face. You jumped slightly, remembering the last time a hand made contact with your face. And whose hand it was...

"30...29...28..." began the countdown to be in your tube. Your eyes shot up frighteningly to Cinna. He held up your jacket.

"Here." He put it on for you and you felt something hard press against your shoulder. You looked inside your jacket and saw the Mockingjay pin. You looked up at him questioningly.

"Katniss told me to put it there. She wants you to have it. She's not mad at you." A lump formed in your throat. All the bridges you had burned with her, and she still wanted you to be safe...if you made it out alive, you owed her a huge apology. The countdown continued.

"21...19...18..."

"Cinna, help me." He looked so sympathetic it made your heart cringe. There was nothing he could do. You hugged him again. He held on to you tighter than anyone ever had. You felt so safe in his arms, but you knew he had to let you go eventually. You pulled away before you got too comfortable.

"Tell my mom that I love her," you said quickly. He pursed his lips. "Please. And...and tell Katniss I'm sorry. For everything. And tell-" Cinna put a finger over your lips, silencing you. He shook his head.

"You can tell everyone everything you want to say when you get out." Through your tears, you smiled a little.

"9...8...7..." You heart started to pound harder. "5...4...3..."

"Hurry," Cinna said, ushering you into your tube. You barely made it inside and had time to turn around when the countdown ended and the glass wall closed in around you. You gasped, feeling suddenly very claustrophobic. You threw your hands up against the glass. Cinna nodded at you in faith, and you tore your eyes away from him as the tube began to rise. You whipped around and for the first time, saw your outfit. Grey wind pants. A gray windbreaker over a black t-shirt. You had barely noticed as you dressed yourself in it earlier. It was practically the same as last year's outfit. You felt disgusting in it, and you just wanted to rip it off but you barely had time to wrap your fingers around the zipper when sunlight struck your eyes and you were forced to throw your hand up in protection. The countdown began immediately.

"10...9...8..." You stared straight ahead. There was nothing but woods for miles. The Game Maker hadn't put much effort into changing things up this year. You'd think they would've made it a little harder for Peeta this year. This will be simple for him. You look ed your right and saw him staring at the cornucopia, scanning it. You followed his line of vision and began to scan it as well. Nothing but the weapons and scattered backpacks. You looked at the countdown. It was at 2.

"1..." The boom of a cannon sounded. You stood there for a moment as Tributes darted past you, heading straight for the cornucopia and for most, straight to their death. Your legs felt like jelly, you couldn't move. You tried to take a step off the pedestal you were standing on, but you thought your legs might give way and you would collapse. A sob caught in your throat and you looked up, frightened. Five Tributes had already been slain, their bodies flung carelessly on the ground. A sound of shock escaped your lips, and you heard your name being called. The pedestal beneath you began to feel hot. You looked down and saw it glowing red. You swallowed, knowing the Game makers were trying to force you off, but you couldn't find it in you to step down. You began to cry and then heard your name pierce the air again. You looked around wildly and noticed Peeta sprinting towards you. He had two back packs thrown over his shoulder. His hand was extended out to you.

"Jacklyn, let's go!" he shouted, still running at you. "Get off! They're going to kill you!" This didn't process in your mind until you felt the bottoms of your shoes melting from your feet and your skin began to swelter. You gasped, trying to move but the leather from your shoes was causing you to be stuck. You looked up at him fearfully and you put your hand out for him to grab, but instead he began to rip at the laces on your shoes. When he got them untied, he grabbed at your waist and ripped you off the pedestal and out of your shoes.

"I need those!" you screamed as he pushed you towards the woods.

"Dammit," he said, doubling back and ripping the melted shoes off the pedestal and while holding them in one hand, he grabbed your arm with the other and began to drag you towards the woods.

"What about weapons?!" you asked, turning to look back at the cornucopia. There were at least 10 people dead. You gasped in shock and almost fell to your knees.

"Don't look back, just run!" Peeta shouted and you did, turning away from the bloody mess. You let him drag you forward into the woods, cutting your feet open on the roots and sticks that littered the ground. You tried to keep up, but his strides were larger than yours. You tripped over a protruding root and flew forward, almost smacking your forehead off a bolder. You groaned in pain, but barely had time to register the damage as Peeta gripped both your upper arms with his hands and pulled you up.

"Peeta-"

"Just run!" Your feet throbbed horribly, but you continued on until your ears began to pop, and you knew that the two of you had found the highest ground you could. But you weren't the only ones. One of the Tributes from District 4 had as well, and he was heading your way with a spear over his shoulder. You screamed as Peeta chucked you to the side and ran towards him, ramming into his stomach with his head and running him backwards into a tree. There was a gasp from the Tribute, and what sounded like a terrible tearing, and you looked up just in time to see him shut his eyes. He had a bloody branch protruding from his stomach. You began to cry.

"Peeta, we're not even 30 minutes in," you said shakily. "And you've killed someone!"

"He was going to kill us," he said quickly, wiping his hands on his shirt. You noticed a crimson color left behind and you retched. Peeta moved forward.

"Are you going to be sick?" You shook your head, causing it to pound. You put a hand to it. Peeta crouched beside you.

"I need to look for water," he said.

"I'm not staying here alone."

"I need you to start a fire."

"That will draw all the other Tributes here!" Peeta grinned.

"Just wanted to see if you would catch that." You were shocked at first, but you eventually half-smiled. "You've earned my trust in staying here alone."

"Peeta..." He waited for you to finish. You swallowed and whispered, "when will you be back?"

"No more than a few hours." Your heart constricted.  
"No. No way. I'll be dead before then." Peeta put a hand to your shoulder.

"Just go through the back packs and pick out what's most useful. I'll be back soon. Don't light a fire." He ran a hand down your arm soothingly and stood up, ripping the spear from the dead Tribute's hand. He looked at you. "Would you use this if you had to?" You shook your head. He sighed. "I didn't think so."

"I'm not that strong." Peeta smiled weakly.

"Just cover yourself with leaves and lay low. The back packs can wait until morning." You nodded and he turned, trekking off into the woods without you. You desperately wanted to follow, but knew he would never allow you to. He would let Katniss though, no questions. You sighed and threw yourself back against the ground, whacking your head off a root.

"Ah!" you cried out, throwing a hand back against the bump that was quickly rising from under your hair. A breeze blew over you and you became aware that you still weren't wearing shoes. You sighed again and laid down, shivering in fear and from the slightly chill that was coming over your bare feet. You drew your legs into your chest and covered your legs with the leaves and dirt, camouflaging yourself. You hugged yourself tightly for warmth. You wished Peeta had at least left you his jacket.

BOOM, sounded a canyon and you jumped, scattering leaves everywhere. You sat bolt upright, wondering who had been killed. Your thoughts immediately jumped to Peeta. Your heart pounded in your chest. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM, came the cannons 12 more times. 13 Tributes had died today. There was only 11 to go. You fought back the tears and laid back down. Once you were all covered in leaves, you tried to shut your eyes against the fast-approaching night but you couldn't. So you stared ahead into the darkness, afraid of what could come out of it.

Nothing did for what seemed like more than 3 hours, and then you began to hear heavy footsteps. Your heart lifted slightly, thinking Peeta was on his way back. No Tribute would walk that loudly through the woods, and Peeta always had a heavy footstep. You sat up a little as the leaves began to rustle in front of you, and then you sat straight up as the branches moved aside and a figure emerged from the brush. You squinted.

"Peeta?" you said.

"Peeta?" came a girl's voice, mocking you. And the next thing you knew was nothing: you had been knocked out cold.

End of Chapter 10.


	11. Chapter 11

When you came to, you were alone. Your body ached and your head was pounding. The trees and roots in front of you were blurred, as if something had affected your vision. You groaned and tried to turn over, but a bruise on your back began to throb in protest. Tears sprung into your eyes as you began to wonder what had happened to you. Most importantly, why you were still alive.

You shifted to the right, where there was a low lying branch that you were able to grab a hold of. You counted to three in your mind and pulled yourself to your feet, clenching your teeth tightly in pain and squeezing your eyes shut. It was as if every bone in your body was on fire. You breathed in and out deeply, trying to regulate the pain but it didn't go away. You let a few tears fall.

There was a snap of a twig in the distance. You gasped as your head jerked to the right, listening. Your held your breath to hear better, but you nothing more happened. You passed the noise off as a deer or a rabbit. Then your stomach growled and you realized how hungry you were.

"Ah," you groaned, taking a step forward away from the branch you were holding onto. You had to get moving or else the girl who had knocked you out before would come back and do it again. Or worse, finish you off this time. You started to wonder again why she hadn't killed you in the first place, and then you thought, _what's happened to Peeta?_

Peeta.

You looked around frantically and noticed that both the backpacks were gone. So were your shoes. You couldn't understand why anyone would want to take those, as they were so burnt and unusable. More tears leaked from your eyes. You swallowed the rest back and began to walk, holding onto low branches as you went.

"Peeta?" you whispered as you walked, trying to look through the brush to see if he was hiding, or had also been knocked unconscious. Your heart was pounding with each step you took, afraid you were going to find him a bloody mess at any moment. But you hadn't been awoken by the sound of a cannon, nor had you heard one go off since you had woken up. This gave you hope, and kept you going.

You found water within a couple hours and elation burst through you. You rushed forward and fell to your knees, cupping some in your hands and sucking it down fast. You did this a few more times until you were satisfied with your moistness of your mouth. You smiled, looking around. This was the last place you knew Peeta to be. Assuming he had found it in the first place. You sat down on a rock and dipped your toe into the water. Comfortable with the temperature, you slipped your whole foot in and then the other, letting them soak. You let your head hang back to allow the sun to beat down on your cut up face. Whoever had knocked you out had made a gash in your forehead – you could tell when blood dripped into the water you had cupped in your hands before.

Another twig snapped. Your eyes snapped open and you looked around. You didn't see anybody, but you heard leaves rustling and you quickly stood up, bracing yourself to run if you needed to. There was silence for a moment and you took advantage of it to quickly fill your stomach with just a few more handfuls of water. Each time you were done drinking, you would look up to make sure you were still alone. You started walking in the opposite direction of the footsteps you could now, for certain, hear. When they got louder and you heard someone break through the tree line and stop at the sight of you, you broke into a run.

"Wait!" the person shouted but you didn't, you pounded the forest floor as hard and fast as you could, putting your hands up against your face to keep the twigs and branches from cutting up your face anymore. You jumped over roots, fallen trees and avoided holes in the ground as you sprinted away from whoever was at your heels. You didn't dare turn around. They yelled for you to wait again.

"No!" you screamed as your foot caught on a stump and you flew forward, landing face first in the dirt. You were sure you broke something, by the sound of the cracking. You began to cry and pushed yourself up with your hands, getting onto your knees and then dragging yourself to your feet. As soon as they made contact with the earth, you began running again. But slower this time, as the pain in your leg was shooting up into your hips and ribs, and making it hard to breathe.

"Jacklyn!" the person shouted, and you thought you recognized the voice but you couldn't be sure. You continued on until you came across a small marsh. You were going to have to run through it, but you had no shoes. There would surely be snakes, and you had a deathly fear of those. Your heart beat furiously inside you, and you took a few steps back, preparing to jump over the mud and water. You looked back quickly, but didn't see anybody. You could still hear them running though. You took off and leaped, landing on the other side of the marsh and continuing your sprint away from whoever was following you.

"Peeta!" you screamed, hoping to get his attention wherever he was. You could feel your leg giving out beneath you and your tracker would surely catch and kill you any second. "_Peeta!_" you screamed again, throwing your arms out and breaking through the branches and twigs, not caring if they hit you in the face anymore. Your feet were burning and bleeding as you ran, but you couldn't stop. Not until you lost the person behind you.

"Stop!" the person shouted.

"No!" you shrieked back, and got caught in the chest by a branch you didn't see. It threw you backwards and knocked the wind out of you. You lay on the ground, gasping for breath and listening to the sound of your attacker's footsteps getting closer. You tried to dig your nails into the dirt and pull yourself into the brush, but it was no use. This was the end. You began to wish you had gone easy on the 'wanting to die in the Games' talk.

You shut your eyes as the person was a few feet away and began to scream at the top of your lungs, hoping to deter them or make them think you were poisoned. Maybe they would leave you alone this way. Someone dropped to their knees beside you and yanked you up. You screamed in surprise, and your eyes snapped open. Peeta was there looking horrified. You burst out into tears as he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close.

"It's okay," he said into your air as you sobbed into his shoulder. "It's okay, Jacklyn, it's me. Shh."

"I thought-" you choked, sniffling miserably as your nose began to run, "you were-"

"I know," he whispered, rubbing your back and rocking you. "I know." You were both silent for a few minutes as you gathered control of yourself and pulled away from him, moving the hair from your eyes and wiping your nose with the back of your hand. You had left behind some snot on his jacket, but he didn't seem to mind. He reached forward and touched your gash. You jerked away as his touch made it sting.

"Ow!" you cried, falling backwards onto your butt.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I was seeing if it was fresh."

"It's fresh!" you said, breathing deeply and beginning to hyperventilate slightly. Peeta got to his feet and walked to you, grabbing your upper arms and pulling you to your feet as well. You couldn't stop breathing quickly, and he pulled you in again, hugging you tightly.

"Jacklyn," he said soothingly, "stop crying. Calm down. You're safe now...you're with me. I'm not going to leave you alone again." This helped you slightly, but you still couldn't help but cry.

"I don't know why she didn't kill me," you said into his shoulder, the last of your tears sliding into your mouth as you spoke. He rubbed your back.

"Don't think about that."

"Don't leave me again."

"I promise I won't." He hugged you tighter. You had been refraining, but you now wrapped your arms around him too. He fingered your hair and you calmed down. He pulled away and you wiped away the rest of your tears.

"She took our backpacks," you said miserably and he sighed.

"I figured." You stared at him. "It's fine, we'll just go see if there are any more left...sometimes the Game makers put more out to draw us all back to each other." Your heart skipped a beat.

"I don't want to die," you said. Peeta smile sympathetically.

"I know. Me neither." He took your hand. "We'll be quick. We're not that far away." It took you an hour to get there. The field seemed deserted, but you were willing to bet there were other Tributes hidden in the grass like you both were. Peeta set down the knife he had been carrying, and let go of your hand. You looked at him.

"You're not going alone," you said and he returned your stare.

"It's not safe for both of us to go. You know how to work a knife, right? I saw you throw during Training." You nodded sheepishly, remembering when you threw one at the dummy you pictured was Katniss. "If I get caught in any kind of trouble," he said, holding up the knife, "I trust you can get me out with this." You nodded, swallowing and taking it from him. He patted your shoulder.

"Be careful." He nodded.

"I'll be right back." You watched as he looked around to make sure he was alone and then darted out towards the cornucopia, scooping two backpacks off the ground immediately and then doubling back for a third one that was laying a few yards away.

"Come on," you whispered as he began running back. You gasped when you heard a rustle of leaves and another Tribute sprinted out of the woods behind him and began running at him. You stood up. "Peeta, behind you!" He looked back and cursed to himself, running faster. When he made it to you, he grabbed your hand and jerked you along, nearly ripping your arm out of its socket. You turned your head and saw the Tribute still running at you. He was gaining speed and loading an arrow as he went. "He's gonna shoot us!" you shouted and Peeta looked, diving to the ground and bringing you with him as an arrow whizzed by your heads. You screamed and he pushed you back to your feet.

"Go!" he shouted, running behind you and shielding you. You both broke through the brush and branches, slicing open your arms and reopening the gash on your forehead. Fresh blood slipped into your mouth and you spit it out, disgusted. The other Tribute's footsteps still pounded behind you.

An arrow whizzed by your cheek. You screamed, falling to the side but Peeta had an arm around your waist within seconds, holding you up. He pushed you along and yelled for you to go. You did. You spotted a cave down by a fallen tree. You began running for it and Peeta shouted your name.

"Where are you going?!" he yelled, but he followed you anyways. You sprinted towards the rock and dove inside, scraping your arm almost to the muscle. You gasped in pain, but bit your lip so you wouldn't scream out. Peeta tumbled in behind you and threw the backpacks down to break his fall. He pushed himself up and the both of you watched as the Tribute sprinted past the cave and farther into the woods. You sighed in relief and leaned back against the cold stone, gasping for breath. Peeta did the same. You shut your eyes.

"I'm not gonna make it," you said.

"Shut up," Peeta breathed and you looked at him in surprise. "You're going to make it. I'm going to get you out of here."

"What about you?" you asked as he dragged a back pack over and began to unzip it. He looked at you.

"You think I'm gonna let anything happen to me?" You shook your head and he began to rummage through, pulling out a few rolls of bread, an empty canteen, rope, matches, a blanket and some soap. You rolled your eyes at the soap. Nobody was going to take the time to get clean when there were Tributes prowling around waiting to catch you off guard and slit your throat. To find you bathing would be their perfect chance. Peeta took a bite of bread and handed you the other piece. You graciously took it and stuffed it in your mouth.

"Mm," you said, licking your lips and taking another bite. "Still warm." Peeta looked at you.

"No it's not," he said. You opened your eyes.

"Just let me pretend." He said nothing for a moment and then smiled.

"Yes ma'am." You smiled back and stuffed the remainder in your mouth, swallowing it whole and coughing slightly. "Are you okay?" he asked, pounding your back. You nodded, coughing once more forcefully and then swallowing down what had gotten stuck. You sighed in relief and rubbed your stomach.

"Food."

"I wish we had more," he said. You nodded.

"Me too." You paused. "What happened to you, anyways? Why didn't you ever come back for me?" He swallowed the last of his bread and wiped his mouth, looking at you.

"It took me a while to find the water. I didn't know anything happened."

"You were gone for the whole night..."

"I know," he said, "by the time I started heading back I passed by a pack of Careers. I couldn't go anywhere without them hearing me, so I had to climb a tree for the night." He paused, looking down at the ground and gathering a bit of dirt in his hands. He watched it slip from his fingers and then continued. "When I woke up, I saw you by the water. So I went to you."

"Why didn't you call my name?" you asked, annoyed.

"I didn't want to draw the Careers to you." His eyes seemed sad as he said this and you had no choice but to forgive him. You sighed.

"Thank you," you whispered. You yawned.

"You should get some sleep," he said, folding the blanket up as a makeshift pillow. You didn't argue. You crawled towards it and laid down, resting your head on the blanket thankfully. You looked up at him.

"You should get some sleep too."

"I'm going to keep watch," he said.

"All night?!"

"Yes." You frowned.

"Please come lay down and go to sleep." He said nothing. "Please...I've had a bad day." You couldn't help but smile slightly at this and his lips curled up into a slight smile as well. "We'll be all right. That Tribute ran right past us." He stared at you.

"Okay," he whispered, moving closer and laying down beside you. He put a backpack under his head and turned your way. Your eyes were already shut. He brushed the hair from your eyes.

"Good night," you said.

"Good night." You began to fade off immediately. The last thing you felt before falling asleep was Peeta planting a light kiss on your forehead, beside your still-bleeding gash. He pressed his jacket to the wound and held it there to stem the flow. Then he laid back down and fell asleep immediately. You smiled at him and turned over, drawing your knees to your chest and hugging them tightly against you. It was cold in the cave, but you ignored it as the sound of 3 cannons went off. 17 Tributes were gone, only 7 left.

You hoped that would still be the case in the morning.

End of Chapter 11


	12. Chapter 12

BOOM. You woke up the next morning to the sound of a cannon. You jolted awake and sat up immediately, whacking your head off of a protruding rock. You gasped in pain, throwing a hand up to the already-forming lump and rubbed it miserably, looking around. Peeta was gone. Your insides turned to ice and you began to scramble out of the cave.

"Peeta," you called, clawing at the dirt and trying to push yourself to your feet. Your arms felt like jello knowing that the last cannon you heard could have been marking his death. "PEETA?" you screamed and you felt a hand come over your mouth from behind and you began thrashing, not knowing who had you. "Peeta!" You shrieked through their hand and the person pressed their lips against your ear and began to whisper.

"Stop," they said, "it's me." You immediately stopped moving around and let yourself go limp against him. He turned you around. "Okay?" he said, looking slightly frustrated.

"You left," you said angrily.

"I was getting some food," he said, holding up a dead squirrel. Your eyes burned with tears and you tried to blink them back but you couldn't. "What's the matter?" he asked, "why are you crying?"

"You said you weren't going to leave!" you said loudly and he quickly stepped towards you and put a hand onto your shoulder.

"Go inside," he said. You jerked away from him and angrily slid back inside the cave. You moved to the very back and sat against the wall, hugging your knees to your chest and resting your forehead on top of them. Peeta followed in after you and dropped the squirrel beside the fire pit he had constructed before leaving earlier that morning. He walked to you and crouched down. "Hey. Stop crying," he said.

"I'm not crying," you said into your knees.

"I can tell that you are." You looked up at him angrily with your tear-free eyes and he smiled slightly. "My mistake." He got up and moved to the pit where the backpacks were and he grabbed some matches from inside. He scooped up some dead leaves and threw them inside the circle of rocks, struck a match and tossed it in. You watched the leaves begin to smolder and then your heart skipped a beat.

"What about the smoke?" you asked quickly. Peeta looked up at you and began to blow the wisps of it towards you. He smiled at you, showing his teeth and your heart melted. He did have a gorgeous smile. You smiled halfheartedly back. You watched him pick up the squirrel and get a knife from his pack. He began to skin it and, even though it disgusted you, you watched. You only ate the meat back home, you never saw what actually happened to the animal. Another cannon went off and you jumped.

"There's only 5 of us left," you said. Peeta shook his head.

"No there isn't."

"What?" He didn't look up as he continued stripping the skin.

"There's still 7 of us." You stared at him, wondering if he was crazy. After he was done cutting the meat from the bone and placing it on leaves, he looked up at you. "There's still 7. Those are fake cannons, I can tell by the resonance. They want us to let our guards down..." He trailed off as the smell of meat began to fill the cave and he began waving his hands in front of the fire to send the scent and smoke your way. As soon as it was done cooking, he blew out the tiny flames until they were only embers and brought the meat to you.

"I'm scared," you whispered, accepting one of the leaves.

"Don't be. I see through their tricks." This made you feel a little better as he sat down beside you and stretched his legs out. "Ah," he sighed in relief and leaned back against the wall. You both simultaneously took a bite of the squirrel. You ate yours faster than him, but it didn't satisfy you. Your stomach still growled by the time you were finished. You looked at him. He smiled, offering you a piece of his.

"Oh no," you said, shaking your head and pushing his hand away. Electricity shot through you at the touch. You blushed. "I'm sorry," you said. You turned away and began to draw in the dirt.

"For what?" he asked. You didn't say anything back, you just kept drawing. He went back to eating his squirrel and when he was finished, stood up to kick dirt over the remaining embers. He turned to you. "Jacklyn." You looked up to him saying your name.

"What?"

"Come here." he beckoned you over with his hand and you pushed yourself up and over to him. He pointed outside the cave and up high into a tree. You squinted your eyes and followed his line of vision. There was something hanging from the branches, a parachute attached to it and a red blinking light. Your heart jumped inside your chest.

"That's from Haymitch," you said, beginning to crawl out of the cave but Peeta caught the back of your jacket and pulled you back in.

"Don't just run out," he said, "it could be a trap."

"But it could be from a sponsor."

"But it's really far away. It could be a trap."

"Peeta, you pointed it out to me. You must think there's something in it." You pried his hand off your jacket and climbed out with him right behind you. You walked to the tree and stared up at it. You cursed Haymitch and Katniss in your mind for allowing it to land so far up.

"I'll get it," he said as you placed your hands on the bark, preparing to hoist yourself up to a branch. You looked at him.

"Peeta, I've seen you climb. You're not going up." He smiled slightly and then it faded just as fast.

"And I've seen you climb." Your cheeks turned red.

"I made it to the top," you said, turning back to tree and grabbing onto the bark tightly. You pulled yourself up and threw a hand up, grabbing onto a branch. "I fell." You grabbed the next branch and pushed against the trunk with your bruised, scraped feet and grimaced in pain as you got them on top of a branch. You began to climb and could feel Peeta's worried eyes on you, even when you had made it to the top and were sitting safely beside what Haymitch had sent you. You grabbed it and opened it immediately.

"What's in it?" Peeta called up. You furrowed your brow in confusion.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" You looked down at him and chucked it down angrily, causing it to break into 2 pieces at his feet. He jumped back and stared at it dumbfounded. He reached for it as you began climbing and picked it up, examining it. He took out a piece of paper and began to read it.

"What's it say?" you asked, carefully placing your feet on each branch so you didn't fall.

"It says not to shut our eyes," he said, placing it back in the container and closing it. He tried to snap it shut, but it wouldn't you had slammed it against the ground.

"What's that supposed to mean?" you said, dangling from the branch above him and dropping down beside him. He grabbed your arm to steady you. "I'm fine." He handed you the container.

"It means one of us needs to be watch at night or we don't get anything." Your stomach churned angrily inside you.

"I have to sleep alone," you said. Peeta nodded.

"Yeah. Don't worry, I'll stay watch all night." You shook your head.

"No way. You need to sleep too."

"I have 2 older brothers...I never slept much anyways. I can do it." You lifted the container and slammed it against his chest. He gasped and threw his hands over it, taking it from you. You glared at him. "What-"

"I said I would take a watch!" you said loudly. He stared at you, surprised.

"Okay, okay." He lowered his hands. "Okay." Suddenly, there was a rustling in the brush behind you and you both whipped around immediately. Peeta's hand instinctively wrapped around your wrist. Normally your heart would have started pounding because of this, but it was already pounding from the sound of someone coming towards you.

"Someone must have seen you climbing," Peeta said, quickly turning towards the cave and running to it. He slipped inside and you ran after him, planning on sliding in too but he was already climbing out when you made it to the opening. He had the backpacks around his shoulder. He grabbed the rock and pulled himself up. "Come on!" He pressed a hand to your back and pushed your forward and you began to sprint, Peeta at your heels. Whoever had been lurking in the brush suddenly burst out and you screamed, looking back to see who it was. Peeta pushed you forward. "GO!"

You started running faster, dodging broken limbs and jumping over fallen trees. You noticed one that was still standing that would be perfect for climbing, and then remembered that was one of Peeta's weak spots. You ran forward until a yell from behind caused you to stop. You whipped around, expecting to see Peeta in a choke hold, but instead you saw him running at the Tribute who had been following you and was now laying on the ground with blood oozing from his head. Peeta ripped a knife from his skull and turned towards you, wiping it on his pants. You swallowed, breathing deeply.

"That's two."

"Don't remind me," he said coldly. Another rustle came from the trees behind you and you turned quickly and backed away over to Peeta. He pushed you behind him and gripped his knife tightly. Three Tributes emerged from the woods, 2 boys and a girl. They all narrowed in on the dead Tribute and then looked back up at you, enraged.

"We really liked him, too," said the tallest of the two boys. He stepped forward and over the boy Peeta had killed, and he pushed you farther behind and took a few steps back himself. "What's the matter? Scared you're outnumbered?"

"No," Peeta said, gripping his knife tighter. The boy threw his arm out and grabbed Peeta's wrist, twisting it violently and causing him to let out a cry of pain and drop the knife. The girl quickly rushed forward and picked it up.

"No?" the boy hissed in his face, throwing him backwards into you. You both stumbled but you were able to find your footing against a protruding root. You held him steady. The boy grinned. "Got yourself another girlfriend, Mellark?" he said, walking over and examining your face. "She's much prettier than the Katniss girl, I must say. I doubt she'll get you a free ride out of the games again this year though." You glared at him and he shoved you backwards, causing you to trip and fall into the dirt as he grabbed Peeta's arm and whipped him around and over to the other two Tributes. They each grabbed one of his arms and held on tight. He struggled but it was no use.

"She's not my girlfriend," he growled, "she's just from my District." Your heart sank as he said this.

"Oh yeah? You wouldn't mind if I..." He took the knife away from the girl and held it up in front of his face. "...had my way with her then?" He turned towards you and quickly ran over before you could get up, throwing a hand around your throat and pinning you to the ground. You screamed and wrapped your hands around his wrist, gasping for breath.

"No!" Peeta shouted, struggling. "Let her go!" You clawed at the boy's hand and tried to breathe in some air but it was no use. He was much stronger than you were. Peeta wrenched an arm free and the girl almost ripped it out of its socket when she grabbed hold of it again.

"No," the boy said, "there aren't gonna be two District 12 winners again this year." He pressed the tip of knife to your stomach, just under your ribs, and tears sprung into your eyes. You shook your head as your eyes began to roll back and he pressed the knife against you harder.

"Dammit, Jacklyn! Fight him off!" You started kicking, still struggling for breath, and he moved the hand with his knife and struck you across the face with the back of it. Your head flew backwards and hit the ground hard as a gash formed across your cheek. You had barely begun registering the pain when you heard Peeta shout, "Jacklyn, go where I told you to go!" His voice sounded distant and you could tell that he either had a hand over his mouth or he was being dragged away. You wondered what he had just meant, snce he had never told you to go anywhere. He must have been trying to deter the Tributes. It was a very bad attempt. Suddenly, as the light began to fade from your eyes, you felt not just the tip but the whole knife slide into your stomach and you gasped as his hand released your throat.

"NO!" Peeta shouted as the Tribute stood up, staring down at you. Your mouth hung open slightly in surprise and you tried to glance down at the damage, but you were too weak. You looked away from him and at Peeta who had something stuffed inside his mouth. This explained why he sounded so far away. Tears were streaming from his eyes, and from yours too. You closed them.

"Get him out of here," the Tribute growled and you heard scuffling, which could only be Peeta trying to get away from them.

"Why don't we just kill him!" the girl said, "he's hard to keep still!"

"Because, he's done this before. He can help us. We'll kill him last." Nobody said anything after this, except when the girl began complaining about him struggling again. "Let's go!" the Tribute shouted, "She's good as dead. We'll come back later to make sure." You opened your eyes and moved your head so you could see Peeta. He was still trying to break free, so the Tribute who stabbed you wrapped an arm around his legs and lifted them up. You tasted blood in your mouth and you began to cough. You put a hand over your stab wound, trying to stem the flow of blood.

"Help," you whispered, hoping Haymitch or Katniss could hear you. Nothing happened. No container with a special medicine in it came. Nothing came.

You shut your eyes again and laid your head back. Blood seeped through the cracks between your fingers and a few tears leaked from your eyes. After a minute or so, you suddenly felt a pressure on your stomach and you gasped, your eyes popping open but only a little. You were too weak to open them all the way. The little girl from training was there, her jacket pressed against your wound.

"L..." you started to say her name but she silenced you with a look.

"Don't talk, it'll make it worse."

"How..."

"Shh!" she said, "I'm not gonna let you die." A lump formed in your throat and you tried to swallow it back, but the amount of blood coming up made it impossible. You looked back up at the sky as she put pressure on you and, not being able to keep them open another second, shut your eyes. Everything went black within seconds.

And the unconscious fight for your life began.

End of Chapter 12


	13. Chapter 13

Your Heaven sure looked like Hell. There was no gate, there was no never ending sky; there was only trees...for miles and miles. You stared up into the foliage, wondering why it was taking so long for you to enter the light that was beaming directly down on you. You didn't want to be here anymore, you just wanted it all to end. But Tributes don't get what they want. Never.

You shut your eyes and the inside of your lids burned orange. It had to be mid afternoon by the way the sun was beating down on you. Tears began to burn your eyes and slide down your cheeks when you heard a bit of rustling beside you. You ignored it. It didn't matter if you were stabbed again or even had your throat cut at this point...when the Capitol wants you to suffer, you'll suffer. There's no quick and painless death for someone who defies the Capitol.

"Why," you muttered to yourself, trying to move your arm but finding that you couldn't. Your eyes flew open and you looked down at your wrist to find it tied to a stake in the ground. The little girl, Lacy, from training emerged from the brush. You glared at her and yanked at your bond. "What the hell is this?" you said and she immediately ran over, untying you.

"I'm sorry," she said, ripping the rope away and dropping it to the ground. You sat up annoyed and began to run your wrist as she said, "I didn't want you to run off before I got back." You looked at her and frowned.

"Where would I go?" you said. She was on her knees and staring sadly at you.

"To find that boy they took," she said and your heart immediately dropped inside your chest. "Peeta." You quickly looked away as the tears came back and you hastily wiped them away with the back of your hand. Lacy slid across the dirt on her knees and put a hand on your shoulder. You jumped at her touch but didn't look at her, you just kept a hand over your eyes so she wouldn't see you crying. "Jacklyn, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," you blurted out too quickly. Lacy moved in front of you and you turned away.

"He's okay, you know," she said. You blinked back the rest of your tears and looked at her, sniffling. You raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"How do you know?"

"Well...you've been out a few hours. I had to move you away from there because they said they were gonna come back and see if you were dead." You remembered the one who stabbed you saying that. As the memory flashed through your mind, you suddenly looked down and ripped your shirt up, looking to see what had become of your wound. It was neatly stitched and cleaned, with a light coatof some kind of jelly covering it. Gratitude surged through you and you looked back at Lacy.

"You got a first aid kit?" you asked, dropping you shirt.

"It was in your pack," she said shyly. "I hope it's okay I used it." You smiled and moved forward, pulling her into a hug. You held on tightly to her and whispered "thank you" in her ear. You felt her become less tense against you. You pulled away. She smiled.

"You're welcome."

"You didn't finish...how do you know he is okay?" Her face went slightly pale.

"Well..." she began, "...like I said, I had to move you. And while I was out gathering some berries for when you woke up, I heard two of them go back to where you were stabbed." Your heart began to pound in your chest. "It was the tall boy, and the girl. The boy asked where you were but she didn't know, and he said 'maybe the Capitol took her' and the girl said 'a cannon didn't go off'." When she paused, you anxiously gestured for her to continue. "Then the boy said, 'well she can't be far. And I'll bet he knows where she went.' Then the girl said, 'how do you figure?' and he said that he remembered Peeta telling you to go where he told you to go." Your blood turned to ice. Your face must have drained of all color as well because Lacy then said, "are you okay? You look like you're going to be sick." You shook your head.

"I'm okay," you whispered, looking away and swallowing hard.

"Where did Peeta mean?" she asked and you shook your head again.

"I have no idea," you said and it was the truth. He had never told you to go anywhere in the event that he was captured. In fact, he had made it quite clear that both of you were going to be safe because he had gone through the Games before. But now there he was, probably being tortured for your whereabouts. And he wouldn't know where you are, because you didn't even know where you were.

"They are near the water," she said and you looked back over at her.

"How do you know?"

"I followed them while you were still unconscious..."

"And you saw Peeta?" Her face saddened slightly.

"Yes," she said quietly. Your heart sank a little again at her reaction, and you almost didn't want to ask about the situation he was in. But you had to know.

"Well...did he look all right?" She picked up a twig and began to snap it into pieces in her hands.

"I- I think he was unconscious." Your heart sank lower.

"No," you said, and she nodded slightly.

"Yeah, he was tied to a tree. With his arms behind it. He didn't look like he had been beaten though...that thing that was in his mouth probably suffocated him and knocked him out." You felt a little better hearing this and you nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, you're probably right." You stood up and she looked up at you, throwing a hand up to block the sun from her eyes. "We should get moving if we want to reach him by sundown." Lacy stood up, brushing the dirt from her pants.

"Shouldn't we wait 'til tomorrow or something..." she said and you stared at her.

"Why?"

"Well, you've been unconscious half the day. And you haven't eaten anything."

"I had a lot of squirrel before I was almost killed," you assured her with a hint of annoyance in your voice. Her cheeks flushed a light pink color and you felt bad for snapping at her. "I'm sorry, I just really need nothing to happen to him." Lacy smiled, her color turning back to normal.

"You like him." Now it was your turn to blush. You shrugged and shook your head.

"No," you lied and she grinned, "even if I did...he belongs to Katniss. Who am I to step in the way of their relationship." Suddenly, a beeping noise erupted from the sky and you whipped around to see another container floating down to you, attached to a white parachute. You ran over to where it was going to land and caught it in your arms. You ripped the chute off the back and opened it quickly, expecting something useful. It was just another note. But this time it was from Cinna.

_Red dress_. That's all it said. But you understood.

"I lied," you said quietly, thinking back to all the efforts you had made to impress Peeta during the 4 days you had before the Games began. Lacy was silent, waiting for you to continue. "I think...I love him." She walked up beside you with a smile and put a hand to your back. You looked down at her, returning the smile.

"Let's go get him, then." You paused.

"I don't know if he feels the same way." Then you remembered that his life depended on him not loving you. This made you feel disheartened for a moment and then you remembered how he had defied the Capitol last year. He could do it again this year. If he even felt the same way..

"You won't know unless we go get him!" Lacy said and there was more beeping from above you. You both looked up an a second parachuted package landed in your arms. You opened it and immediately the smell of fresh bread and juice filled your nostrils. You shut your eyes, savoring the scent and Lacy said, "Mmm" beside you. You looked at her and took out one of the rolls, handing it to her.

"Eat," you said and she wasted not time obeying. You shut the container and threw it inside one of the packs. You threw it over your shoulder. "Okay, let's go." The two of you walked for about an hour until you made it to the water. You crouched behind a fallen log and moved a tall fern out of the way in front of you to see over to the river. You scanned the trees nearby and, just like Lacy had said, noticed Peeta tied to one with his arms behind it. Your heart constricted at the sight and you desperately wanted to run out and rescue him but the shorter boy Tribute was keeping watch in front of him with a spear in his hand.

"Why don't you just drive that through me?" Peeta – who was now conscious – asked. The Tribute smirked.

"Because we need to know where the girl is. We're more interested in her...and you'll be useful getting out of the arena alive. All of us." Peeta laughed.

"You aren't going to make it out. Don't you know what the other two are planning behind your back?"

"They're not planning anything."

"Really? Cause I've been conscious a lot longer than you all think. When you were out collecting wood and things, I heard their whole conversation about how as soon as they find Jacklyn and kill me, you're next on the list. Two tributes are gonna get out alive this year, but it's not gonna be from District 12 or 5." The boy was silent.

"You're lying."

"Wish I was. I'm not too interested in dying today." The boy began to pace in front of him, clinging to his spear tightly. He quickly moved in front of Peeta and brought the tip of the spear to his cheek.

"I could do it you know," he said angrily.

"Then do it. I'm gonna die anyways. And so are you, especially now that you've killed the one person who knows where Jacklyn is." You watched the boy jumped back and begin to dance excitedly, holding his spear close to his chest.

"I knew it," he said, hopping from one foot to another. He looked ridiculous and you wanted to look away, but you didn't. "I knew that you knew where she was. HE KNOWS!" the Tribute shouted, "he just admitted he KNOWS!" Immediately, the other two Tributes appeared from within the trees, grinning. You weren't sure if they had just been waiting there, or if it was perfect timing. They walked over to Peeta who had his eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"Do you now?" said the older boy Tribute. "You gonna tell us now, or do we need to continue on from before?" Peeta shook his head.

"No." He swallowed. "You don't."

"Where is she, Mellark?" Peeta shook his head.

"I don't know." The Tribute moved forward quickly and Peeta pressed himself back against the tree, trying to get away. "I don't even know what he's talking about. I didn't say I knew where she was!"

"Yes he did-" began the other Tribute but the girl silenced him with a glare.

"We heard the last bit of your conversation," she said as the oldest Tribute began unzipping Peeta's jacket. He began to struggle.

"I don't know where she is!" he shouted, jerking his body so that his jacket flew out of the boy's hands. He grabbed Peeta my his hair and slammed him back against the tree.

"Don't move!" he growled and you shifted uncomfortably. A twig snapped beside you. All heads shot towards you and you immediately held your breath and threw a hand over Lacy's mouth. She was a loud enough breather for the both of you. After a few seconds, they all disregarded the noise and turned back to Peeta who was writhing his hands and trying to get out of the rop. The Tribute who stabbed you finished unzipping his jacket and moved the sides apart, and then moved it off his shoulders so his arms were bare. He swallowed and struggled again.

"I honestly don't-" The boy threw a hand over his throat and held him against the tree.

"I don't want to hear another word from you unless it's where the girl is."

"But I-" The Tribute brought his fist back and then forward into Peeta's stomach. You threw your free hand over your mouth and suppressed a scream as Peeta groaned in pain. Then, he began squeezing just below Peeta's ribs and he yelled out and immediately began laughing.

"NO!" he yelled, pulling at the ropes and trying to get away. "Okay, okay!" he shouted, "okay, I'll tell your where she is! Stop! STOP!" He yelled and he did, waiting for him to catch his breath and reveal your location. It was a good thing you weren't actually hiding, Peeta gave in extremely quickly.

"Where is she?" he demanded, placing his hand back on his side. Peeta jerked away.

"No," he said and the Tribute was silent, "okay, 100 yards from where you stabbed her. There's a cave. That's where I told her to go if we get separated." He moved away from Peeta and looked at the girl.

"Fill the water bottles, we're going for a walk." She ran off to the river and filled the canteens, and then ran back to him while screwing on the tops. He looked at Peeta. "You better be right or when we get back, I'm not gonna stop until you tell us where she is and one of the other 2 comes back with her." Peeta swallowed as he turned on his heel and disappeared into the trees, the other two close behind. You heard the older boy yell at the Tribute from District 5 to go back and keep watch, but he yelled back in refusal that he didn't want to miss out on the discussion of who's gonna get killed when. You smirked at Peeta's cleverness and both you and Lacy sat in silence until the other's footsteps died away and you were sure you were alone. You looked at Lacy.

"Coming or staying?" you said.

"I'm staying," she replied, looking up at you. "I can be a lookout, and lead them away if they find me." Your heart skipped a beat. You shook your head.

"Come with me." She shook her head too.

"No ma'am. Go. Hurry! Before they come back!" She shoved you forward and you broke through the grass, almost falling. You gasped and looked around, making sure no one was lurking and then you darted towards Peeta. He didn't hear or see you coming as he stood limply against the tree, staring at the ground. You put a hand on his arm and he jumped in response, looking at you wildly.

"Jacklyn," he said, surprised, "no, they could come back at any second!"

"The cave is almost an hour's walk from here. Hold still, I'm gonna cut you free."

"Stop!" he said loudly as you began prying at his ropes. You glared at him.

"Shut up and let me get you out!"

"How are you even alive?!" he said, and you could hear that he was choking back a sob. You relaxed your expression a bit as you looked at him.

"Don't worry about it," you said.

"I'M WORRIED," he said loudly, and you jumped.

"Shh, Peeta," you said, "please, just let me get you out and somewhere else...then you can yell at me all you want. Okay?"

"You were stabbed," he said. You ignored him this time and grabbed a rock from the ground and began to rub it against the robe binding his hands. "Jacklyn, get out of here," he said with urgency.

"I'm getting you out."

"I'm not joking, get out of here. They're coming back!" You began to cut faster.

"I'm not leaving you here!" you said, tears leaking from the sides of your eyes. Peeta began to wriggle his hands so that you couldn't cut without accidentally hitting his fingers. "Peeta, stop, let me-"

"Please!" he said exasperatedly, and his voice sounded pleading. You swallowed and dropped the rock, running in front of him.

"But-"

"I'll be fine, GO." You stared at him and he kicked you in the shin. You gasped in surprise and when you heard rustling behind you, quickly darted to the left and hid behind the bushes. You peered out as the 3 Tributes came back out and the tallest walked to Peeta.

"Who're you talking to, buddy?" he asked, punching him across the face. You put a hand over your mouth to silence your gasp and shut your eyes against the abuse. "Hm? We heard you shouting. Who at?" He punched him again.

"Nobody," Peeta lied, spittnig out some blood.

"Check the woods," he barked at the other boy and he walked in the opposite direction of you. You signed in relief. The Tribute got in Peeta's face. "Where is she?"

"I don't—" Before Peeta could even finish, the boy had his hand on his side and was squeezing just below his ribs again. Peeta shouted and began laughing hysterically.

"Stahahahop!" he begged, "I d-don't know!"

"I heard you talking to her!" he said, "she's around here somewhere!"

"She's at the c-cave!" he laughed, banging his head back against the tree. The boy kept on squeezing and Peeta screamed for him to stop. You swallowed, hating to see him in any kind of pain and you stood up.

"No she's not," he said angrily, beginning to squeeze his other side as well, "where is she?!"

"I- plehehehease stop! D-don't know!"

"WHERE IS SHE?" he yelled, squeezing harder.

"I DON'T—" Peeta began but was cut off by you taking a step out of the brush, unable to handle seeing him tortured any longer for your sake. The Tribute's head snapped over to you and he immediately stopped his attack on Peeta and grinned.

"I'm right here," you said. Peeta, who was breathing deeply, looked over at you longingly.

"Dammit Jacklyn," he gasped and you looked at him sadly.

"I'm sorry, you can't suffer because of me." The boy laughed and marched over to you, grabbing you by the throat as he had done earlier.

"You can both suffer," he said with a grin and shoved you against the tree and against Peeta's hands. You screamed as you smacked your head against the bark and he whipped out a knife. "This time you will die." He brought his arm up and the sun glinted against the metal of the blade. You struggled and shut your eyes, preparing for what was gonna happen next when suddenly, little feet ran across the field and jumped onto the Tribute holding you and knocked him to the ground. You clutched at your throat, gasping for air and then ran forward, ripping the knife from his hand as he struggled against Lacy who was punching him repeatedly in the face. You raised the knife and shoved Lacy into the grass.

"I'm sorry," you said as you grasped the handle with both hands and drove it down angrily into the boy's chest. He gasped in shock as the blade penetrated his skin and bore down deep into his heart tissue. He barely had time to twitch before he died. It was silent for a moment until a scream erupted behind you and the other girl from District 1 began running at you, a spear in her hand.

"Look out!" Lacy screamed, pushing you out of the way.

"No! Move!" you answered, grabbed her wrist and throwing her to the ground. You ducked and blocked the girl's attempt to drive the spear through you and grabbed the knife from his chest, slashing at her throat and watching her stumble back, clinging to it and trying to stop the bleeding.

"No," she gargled through her blood, dropping to her knees behind the dead Tribute. She fell to her stomach and dropped her hands as the blood began to drain into the grass. You breathed deeply in and out as Peeta stared from behind the tree in a mixture of worry and fright.

"Jacklyn," he said quietly. You didn't say anything. "Shit, Jacklyn!" he shouted and this pulled you out of your funk. You looked at him and noticed the other Tribute running from across the field, a bow and arrow in hand. "UNTIE ME," he shouted and you ran to him, slashing the rope apart with the knife. He ripped it from your hands and shoved you aside, narrowly avoiding an arrow in the process. He ran to the Tribute and, just like the first one he had killed, rammed into his stomach head first and knocked him to the ground. Then he began stabbing. And he didn't stop until the light from the boy's eyes had vanished, his skin was pale and he was no longer moving. You and Lacy stared in shock until he turned to you, soaked in blood. For a while he stood there, just staring. You loked down at the dead Tribute and then back at Peeta. if your squirrel hadn't already digested, there was a good chance it would have come back up.

He walked to you, grabbing your hand and pulling you up. You grabbed Lacy's hand and helped her up as well. There was a long, drawn out pause between the two of you when finally you began to speak.

"That's 3," you whispered and after a moment, he smiled slightly. He grabbed the back of your head and held a fistful of your hair in his hand, bringing your forehead forward against his.

"I've got you beat by one," he said quietly and you laughed.

"There's still one left. It could end up being a tie." He grinned and suddenly, without warning, his lips were pressed against yours passionately but the moment didn't last long enough for it to register in your mind or for you to have time to respond. He pulled away and you stared at him in shock as Lacy grinned at the two of you from behind. You looked at her quickly and she blushed slightly, looking away. But she was still smiling. You looked back at Peeta.

"I hope that was okay," he said. You smiled and swallowed back tears.

"That was okay," you said. He grabbed your hand as a container above you parachuted down, beeping. He caught it in his hand and stuffed it in the pack over your shoulder.

"We'll open it later. Let's move before the last one shows up." He looked at Lacy. "Come on, we're gonna need you too." She smiled, running up beside you and you grabbed her hand.

"Thank you," you said to her. "Really. You saved my life back there." You looked at Peeta who was staring off into the distance. You looked back at her. "All our lives." She grinned.

"I know love when I see it," she said, "who am I not to try and preserve it." You were taken aback by her words, the wisdom behind them and how much older than 12 she sounded when she said them. You smiled back at her and squeezed Peeta's hand. He looked at you.

"We really need to move," he said.

The three of you began to walk across the field and to the woods, and all that was running through your mind was the fact that you had just kissed Peeta Mellark. You began to wonder if it had been caught on camera, if Katniss had seen. You wondered if she would be mad, or if she would be punished for the truth being exposed about her and Peeta's relationship. The way he had kissed you, it was clear he had never loved her. You wondered if Cinna was smiling or if Haymitch was cursing you both out. Then you realized something else...

You didn't care.

End of Chapter 13


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